Believe in Me
by BlazingEmblem
Summary: She made him a promise to clear his name. He made her a promise to stay with her forever. Forced to turn himself into the police, the strength of his bonds would once again be tested. Sequel to Confide in Me.
1. Prolouge

It still didn't feel real…

They had won. Shido and Yaldabaoth had been defeated. The world had been saved.

And Morgana had… left them after the final battle.

He simply stood there in silence, in the middle of Shibuya Station Square, mulling over recent events.

"I didn't expect to find the world's savior alone on Christmas Eve."

He turned, hearing a familiar voice.

"Sae-san." he smiled. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise." she smiled.

"How's the case with Shido going?" he asked.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." the prosecutor muttered.

"Is… everything ok?" he asked.

"Well, Shido confessed to multiple crimes, and we can arrest him based on that." she informed him. "But proving him guilty is another matter entirely."

"It must be hard to connect the Metaverse with the mental shutdowns." he assumed.

"That's right." she nodded solemnly. "And with Akechi… gone, you're the only one that can testify against Shido."

"I'll do what I have to." he said.

A look of guilt crossed over her face.

"... I want you to turn yourself into the police."

Had he… heard her correctly?

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You… what?" he gasped. "Turn… myself… in?"

"We need your testimony to prove Shido guilty." she confessed. "But the public will look towards you as a hero. But the police and the public prosecutors would never let that slide. They wouldn't want to lose face to the Phantom Thieves."

"... I see." he whispered.

"All they care about is their own reputation." Sae spat. "Not about doing what's right. It disgusts me to think that I used to be like that as well…"

"What would happen to us, then." he asked. "If I don't turn myself in?"

"They'll go after you and your friends." she bluntly replied. "They might even go as far as to falsify evidence and crimes against you all."

"Then I don't have a choice, do I?" he said.

It was infuriating.

They had outwitted Akechi. They had changed Sae's heart! They had taken down Shido! They had saved the world from an evil god, damn it! So why… after everything they had done… when their powers were gone… would things turn out like this?

"If you turn yourself in, you will be arrested." Sae told him. "The police and prosecution will strike at your past record. You'll likely be placed in juvenile hall… and end up in solitary confinement."

"Will that be enough to appease them?" he asked.

"As long as the Phantom Thieves aren't portrayed as heroes, then yes." she answered.

So… this would be how his story ended…

"Sae-san… p-promise me you'll protect the others and take down Shido." he pleaded, his voice beginning to break.

"I promise."

"Then… if it'll protect the others… if it'll protect her… I'll do it." he agreed.

"Thank you." she said, giving a sad smile. "And… I'm sorry."

"That's ok." he assured her.

"Alright, let's get going." she said.

As he followed her, he felt his phone buzz.

Quickly checking it, he saw he had gotten a text.

Makoto: I know that now might not be the best time… but it's Christmas Eve. I want to spend it with you. Maybe we could walk around the city for a bit… then head back to your room?

Makoto…

He would be leaving her and the others behind...

"W-Wait." he stammered. "Can we… do this tomorrow? I… I want to spend my last day with-"

"My sister, right?" she assumed, cutting him off.

"I…"

"It's fine." she said. "Tomorrow morning, then."

"Thank you." he said, managing a weak smile.

"I'll stop by Leblanc in the morning." the elder Niijima said.

He nodded, watching her walk off before responding.

Ren: That sounds great.

Makoto: Thank you! I'm in Shibuya right now. Let's meet at the station.

He placed his phone back into his pocket, trying his hardest to keep a brave face on.

After arriving at the station, he began glancing around, hoping to spot her.

* * *

"There you are!"

He turned around, seeing Makoto running up to him before pecking him on the cheek.

"I'm glad you could make it." she smiled.

"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" he asked.

"I… hadn't really had the time to think about it, with everything that's happened." she admitted.

"That's fine." he said. "I'm… just glad to spend time with you."

"O-Of course." she beamed, beginning to blush. "We've just been so busy lately."

"Well, for now, you can try to think of something while we take a walk and look at all the lights." he suggested. "And once you do think of somewhere to go, we'll go there. It can be anything you want."

"Anytime I want…" she repeated. "Are you sure?"

"It's our first Christmas Eve together." he excused. "I want it to be special."

Especially considering… that it might also be their last day together...

* * *

After roaming the snowy Shibuya streets for some time, the couple ate dinner together before finally returning to Leblanc.

"Everywhere was so crowded on Christmas Eve." Makoto sighed.

"We were lucky to find a restaurant that wasn't packed." Ren commented.

"Yes, there were certainly a lot of happy couples around." Makoto observed.

"Did you have fun?" he asked.

"I had a wonderful time with you." she nodded. "Um… shall we head upstairs?"

"After you." he offered.

The two of them ascended the stairs to his room, settling nicely onto his bed.

"So… what should we do now?" she asked. "It's… just the two of us, right now."

"Why don't we just watch a movie?" he suggested.

She nodded. "That sounds good. It'll be nice to just relax."

"Why don't you pick one out while I grab some snacks and brew us some coffee?" he offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you." she smiled.

He got to work brewing the coffee, hoping Boss wouldn't mind if he brewed her favorite.

He just wanted everything to be perfect for her…

After brewing their coffee, we returned to his room, curious to see what movie Makoto had picked out. It was some corny romantic comedy, although… he was pretty sure that they had already watched it together…

"Do you like this movie?" he asked.

"It's a little sappy at times, but it's also really sweet." she said before letting out a small giggle. "Kinda like you."

"Me? Sappy?" he frowned. "Since when?"

"Since we started dating, 'study partner.'" she teased.

"I seem to recall that line being rather successful." he smirked.

"It was really sweet too." she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer before returning his attention to the movie.

He found it hard to focus, however, when his thoughts inevitably started drifting back towards the case about Shido…

He hated the idea of having to be arrested on a false charge just to placate some corrupt authority figures and their damaged egos.

But he hated how it would effect those close to him even more...

How would he break the news to her?

Should he even break the news to her?

No, he definitely should, but...

"Ren?"

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked. "You seem a little out of it."

He didn't want there to be any secrets between them, and she was perspective enough to understand when something was wrong, but with his mind being a jumbled mess at the moment, he needed some time to collect himself.

"I was just thinking of everything that's happened." he mentioned. "Shido, Yaldabaoth, and Morgana…"

"He'll make his way back to us." she assured him.

"Yeah, he will." he agreed. "And he wouldn't want us to be moping around. So I've just been trying to relax."

"Am I… helping in that regard?" she wondered.

"Immensely." he grinned.

"I'm glad… truth be told, I was feeling a little anxious myself." she admitted. "Oh! I almost forgot. Here."

She handed him a nice looking wristwatch.

"It's a present. Merry Christmas, Ren."

"Thank you." he said, his grin spreading from ear to ear.

"You're very welcome. Now you can remember the exact time of this special moment." she smiled.

"You make every moment special, Makoto."

"C-Come on!" she stammered. "How can you even say that with a straight face?!"

"I just like making you blush, that's all." he chuckled. "Actually… I have something for you too."

Recently, they had discussed how he would be heading home in a few months, and how that would affect their relationship.

They had both concluded that they would be able to make it work, but being apart for a year would still sting.

So, he had set to work, making something that he had hoped would at least make things a little easier for her.

But now…

"I want you to have this." he said, giving her a book with their names on the cover.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"Open it and find out."

She did just that, gasping at the contents.

"This is…" she trailed off.

"A scrapbook." he finished. "Of all the times we spent together."

Throughout the book, there were pictures of them at the beach, at a ramen stand, at the arcade, Destinyland… everywhere they had gone together.

Hopefully, with this… she wouldn't forget about him.

"Merry Christmas, Makoto." he said softly.

"Ren… this is… I love this!" she said gleefully as she held the book close to her.

"And I love you." he replied, drawing her into a kiss.

"Ren…" she whispered as they broke apart. "Would it be alright if I stayed the night? I…want to wake up next to you on Christmas…"

Tomorrow morning, Sae would be coming to get him, and… she wouldn't exactly be thrilled if she saw her sister with him so early in the morning.

But if this was going to be his last day of freedom…

"I'm not asking for too much… am I?" she asked.

He shook his head, cupping her cheek as he did so. "I told you, I want this day to be special. If that's what my Queen wants, that's what my Queen will have."

She placed her hand atop his own, a blissful look upon her face.

"Thank you so much…" she whispered. "I've made so many wonderful memories with you… I can't wait to make even more."

"Y-Yeah…" he stuttered. "Me too…"

He glanced over at his new wristwatch, noticing the time.

"It's getting pretty late." he observed. "We should probably be heading to bed soon. It's been a long day, after all."

Makoto's eyes widened, as if she had suddenly forgotten something.

"Oh… um…"

"What is it?"

"I… didn't think to bring any suitable nightwear." she confessed.

"Let me get some for you then." he offered.

He dug through his drawers, finding a comfy t-shirt and some sweatpants for her to wear.

"This good?" he asked.

"Y-Yes." she responded, seemingly a little flustered at the thought of wearing his clothing.

He nodded, heading to the bathroom so that he could change into his own nightwear.

He stared into the bathroom mirror, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Ren? Are you finished changing?" Makoto called out.

"Yeah, are you?"

"Yes."

He walked out of the bathroom, seeing Makoto smiling to herself as she flipped through the scrapbook.

The first thing he noticed was that he really liked how she looked in his shirt, and how it hung from her shoulder due it being a little big on her.

The second thing he noticed… was that she wasn't wearing the sweatpants he had left for her.

Or her leggings…

Or… any pants at all.

She gave him a mischievous smirk, beckoning him over with her fingers.

Finding himself under her spell, he made his way over, sitting behind on the bed.

He wrapped his arms around her stomach, resting his chin on her exposed shoulder.

Slowly, he began to leave a trail of kisses upwards from her collarbone, sucking and nibbling at her neck.

"R-Ren…!" she mewled as he nibbled at her ear.

"You said you wanted to make more memories." he whispered into her ear. "Let's make one right now."

Her response was to lightly push him onto his back, positioning herself so that she was straddling him.

His hands found their way to her sides as she pulled him into a fervent and needy kiss.

"You said… I could have anything I want." she whispered as they finally broke apart. "Tonight… I want you."

He was happy to oblige.

* * *

Cuddling under the warm blankets, he heard Makoto make a contented sound as she nuzzled into his bare chest.

"Today's been perfect." she murmured. "Thank you… I really needed this. All of this."

"Yeah." he quietly agreed. Things still haven't calmed down yet."

"My sister told me as such." she said. "She had to pull another all-nighter today to work on the Shido case. She said they've been having a hard time getting people to testify."

He bit his lip. Of course she would be privy to the latest updates about the case.

"It's… scary, not knowing what's going to happen." Makoto confessed.

"Makoto… I…"

"S-Sorry." she apologized, offering him a weak smile. "I shouldn't be bringing something like that up… especially not on Christmas Eve. I-I'm sure everything will work out."

"Actually… Makoto, about that…"

This would be the perfect time to tell her.

"Sae-san told me about all of that too." he admitted. "She… suggested that I testify against Shido."

"That's a great idea!" she smiled. "If anyone would be to prove how awful that man is, it would be you!"

"But…"

She frowned. "But what…?"

"The problem is… she told me that public prosecutors and the police wouldn't stand to be shown up by the Phantom Thieves." he confessed. "And that if they were, they might even go after us, falsify evidence to arrest us."

"B-But sis has to have a plan, r-right?" Makoto stammered.

"She did." he whispered. "If we… if _I_ wasn't painted in a positive light, then they wouldn't have a problem with me testifying."

"A-And… h-how will that work?" she said.

Her voice was shaking, and her hands had tightened into fists.

She must have already had an idea what he was going to say.

"Tomorrow… I'm going to turn myself in the police."

The ensuing silence was torture.

It made him all the more aware of her breathing growing heavier and the sobbing sounds escaping her lips.

"...Y-You can't!" she yelled. "Y-You can't turn yourself in!"

"I need to do this." he argued. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you or the others and I could have prevented it."

"I would stand by you, no matter what." she told him. "Even if they do come after us."

"I know." he said, giving a soft smile. "But it's not just us they'll go after. They'll go after our families. Our friends. I need to keep them safe."

He felt like his heart was being ripped in two when he saw her expression. How the tears freely flowed down her face, and the look of utter despair on her face.

"There's really no other way?" she asked.

"I wish there was… but we need to make progress on the Shido case quickly."

"If I just had a bit more time…" she trailed off.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry… I wanted this day to be special, but..."

"D-Don't apologize." she sobbed. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

"Makoto…"

"It's not fair. You… you've helped so many people. You're always trying to do the right thing. But you keep getting punished for it!"

"Makoto… promised me something, will you?"

"Anything, Ren." she expressed.

"I… I want you to ace your entrance exams… and become the best police commissioner you can be." he choked out, feeling tears begin to prick at his eyes. "Make sure that no one has to suffer like me…"

She lifted her hand, wiping a single tear that had fallen down his face.

"I... I will." she wept. "I… I promise. I love you, Ren."

He held her close, rubbing her back as her sobbing slowing ceased, her body relaxing as they drifted to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

His eyes slowly fluttered open, thankful that his girlfriend was still sleeping.

Carefully, as not to wake her, he tried to untangle himself from her.

He found it somewhat difficult, as it seemed that even in her sleep, she didn't want to let him go.

"Goodbye, Makoto." he whispered, giving her one final kiss before climbing out of bed.

Silently, he put some clothes on, descending the stairs and unlocking the door, waiting for Sae.

He didn't have to wait long. Only a few minutes later, the elder Niijima walked through the door.

"Are you ready?" Sae asked, not wasting any time.

"I am." he said. "Let's go…"

Right as he got up, however, he heard the sound of footsteps.

"Ren…"

They both turned their attention to Makoto, who had just descended the stairs.

Seeing the clothes her little sister was wearing, Sae shot a sharp glare towards him.

"What's she doing here?" Sae asked, clearly annoyed.

"Sis… why…?" Makoto whispered.

The prosecutor turned her attention back towards her sister, her expression softening.

"Makoto…"

"Why, sis…?" she repeated, her voice rising. "Why are you taking him away from us… away from me? Hasn't he already been through enough?!"

"Makoto, we have to do this." Sae quietly said.

"There has to be another way!" she yelled. "He doesn't deserve this!"

"I didn't want to do this." Sae confessed. "I tried to think of another way, but Shido's connections are just too powerful. This is the only way I can think to do this while protecting you."

"Please…" she whimpered. "Sis, please…"

"I'm sorry, Makoto." the elder Niijima said, her face wracked with guilt.

He walked up to her, bringing her into a hug.

"Everything will be ok, Makoto. I promise."

"Y-You self-sacrificing idiot." she whispered, returning the hug.

"Take care of the others while I'm gone." he asked her.

"I will."

"And… I hope… that you'll always remember me… and that one day, you'll find someone that makes you happy."

She shut her eyes, unable to respond as she forced back tears.

He broke the hug, returning to her elder sister's side.

Did he just expect her to find someone else to make her happy?!

She didn't want someone else! She wanted him!

Damn it… she couldn't let things end like this.

Right before he walked out the door, she called out to him.

"Ren, I need you… to believe in me." she said.

"Believe in you?" he repeated, turning to face her.

"Maybe I can't stop you from turning yourself in. But I refuse to just move on. I refuse to just sit by and wait, hoping for the best. I'm going to fight tooth and nail for you."

He looked at her, a surprised expression on his face.

"Don't you remember, Ren? I promised you that I would clear your name." she declared, her face shining bright with determination. "And I intend to keep my promise. I'll get everyone together… and we'll prove to everyone that you're not a criminal!"

When it came to matters involving her friends or her loved ones, she found her resolve increased tenfold.

She with that resolve, she had found the strength to say the words that she needed to hear just as much as he did.

Even if the entire world stood against him, she would remain by his side. If society deemed him a criminal, she would rebel against that society.

She no longer had her powers, but she was still a Phantom Thief at heart.

She stared at him with the same determined expression she bore when she had first awakened her persona. She hoped that that would be enough to convince him that she would never stop fighting for him… and never stop loving him.

Thankfully, he seemed to understand, managing a small smile.

"I know." he told her. "And I intended to keep my promise as well."

She glanced at the heart ring he had gifted her, now adorning her finger, and smiled.

When he had given it to her, he promised to stay with her forever.

So she wouldn't stay goodbye.

Because she knew that she would see him again.


	2. Promise

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in bed.

She didn't care.

She also didn't care how pathetic she must have looked, curled up in his bed, still dressed in his shirt, taking in his scent as she continued to weep because the love of her life was gone.

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to hold him, kiss him, tell him she loved him, that she wanted to be with him… and even someday marry, and start a family with him.

Eventually, she sat up, remembering something she had learned upon joining the Phantom Thieves.

If she wanted something, she needed to fight for it.

So she would fight.

For her lover's freedom.

She took a deep breath, clenching her fists.

"Alright…" she muttered to herself. "That's enough."

She had spent long enough feeling sorry for herself.

Because at this very moment, Ren was suffering a lot more than she was.

She couldn't waste any more time.

She wiped at her eyes, got dressed, and headed downstairs to begin working on some sort of plan.

"He left his phone behind…" she thought to herself. "If I could get in contact with people he knew…"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to Leblanc opening.

"Merrrrrrry Christmas, Ren!"

Futaba…

She would be devastated.

Sojiro followed her, greeting her with a nod and a smile.

"Hehehe… you're here early, Makoto." Futaba greeted, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Ah...I, um…"

"Is that boy still sleeping?" Sojiro asked. "It's nearly noon."

"Well, yesterday was a big day." Futaba mentioned. "I'll go and wake him up."

"Futaba, wait!" she called. "I need to tell you and Boss something."

The younger girl turned, her eyes widening at her serious expression.

"Is… everything ok, Makoto?"

"Sit down, Futaba." she said, putting the seat next to hers. "This is important."

The younger girl did so, her face turning apprehensive.

From behind the counter, she saw Sojiro raise an eyebrow.

"Um…"

"There have been some… complications with the Shido case." she began. "They need someone willing to testify against him."

"So is Ren going to do that?" the younger girl asked.

"Yes, but… it's not that simple." she said. "Even if he admitted to his crimes, Shido has numerous connections. Connections to people that would not want people idolizing the Phantom Thieves. Connections to people that would be able to falsify crimes against us."

She watched the younger girl glance down towards her feet, her body tensing up.

"He's doing it again, isn't he?" Futaba whispered. "He's taking all the heat to protect us."

She bit her lip, dreading what was coming next.

"Makoto… where's Ren?"

"He… turned himself into the police this morning."

She heard something fall to the ground, and glanced over to Sojiro, who looked at her with a stunned expression.

"He… did what?"

"He turned himself in." she repeated. "So that he could take down Shido… and protect the rest of us…"

"I… there has to be something on the news, right?" Sojiro asked, quickly turning on the T.V in the cafe, flipping to a news channel.

"The Public Prosecutors Office finally decided today to break its long-standing silence." the newscaster informed. "It seems there was consensus to try Representative Shido for the countless crimes he confessed to."

The newscaster continued to go on about the Shido case, but she found herself drowning it out.

They had won, but it was a hollow victory.

"To think, everything changed so fast." Sojiro muttered. "But that kid…"

She looked at the cafe owner, the man's age beginning to show on his face.

It was jarring to see. He usually seemed so spry, but now… he just looked so tired.

She then glanced over towards Futaba, and how she was just staring ahead, a black expression on her face.

Slowly, she began to draw the younger girl into a hug, and only then did Futaba's expression changed to despair as she began to weep.

"Why does he keep doing this?!" Futaba sobbed.

"He doesn't want to do this." she said soothingly, patting her head. "There's nothing he'd want more than to stay with us. But Ren also can't look away when there are people in need."

"But why didn't he tell the rest of us?! We could have helped him!"

"There was no time, unfortunately." she lamented. "He only found out that he was going to have to turn himself in yesterday."

Seeing the younger girl cry broke her heart, and she couldn't help but shed a few more tears herself.

"S-Sorry." she choked. "I-I should be comforting you, but…"

"I-It's ok." Futaba whispered. "Um…

The younger girl looked up at her, an anxious look on her face.

"Y-You're going to come up with a plan to save him, right? J-Just like before…?"

"Of course." she said, a small smile on her face. "I promise. We've saved him before, haven't we?"

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Futaba muttered. "W-We'll get him back. We have to."

She was thankful that today was a holiday, so one would interrupt the two of them in their tender moment.

"MERRY CHRISMAAAAAAS!"

Well, so much for that…

They both turned towards the entrance, where Ryuji and the others had just entered.

She couldn't help but let out a whimper, knowing that no matter how many times she told the story, it would never get any easier.

"Hey… why are you two crying?" Ryuji frowned. "You two get into a fight or something?"

"N-No…" Futaba stammered.

"Then what's with the gloomy vibe?" Ryuji wondered. "And where's Ren?"

"Ryuji, let them speak." Ann said.

"Mako-chan, what's wrong?" Haru said gently.

"I…"

"Don't worry. I can explain." Sojiro offered.

She gave the older man a weak smile, thankful for his offer, before the dread of having to here to story again set in…

* * *

Listening to the story never got any easier either…

No one said anything as Sojiro finished his explanation.

Partway through, Sojiro had brought coffee along for them.

But she honestly didn't feel like having coffee right now. It would only remind her of Ren, and how the smell would sometimes stick to him, and the many days they had spent simply enjoying each other's company in this Cafe…

And it seemed the others weren't in the mood for it either.

Futaba was crying again, as was Ann and Haru.

Yusuke had a forlorn expression, glancing at the ground.

And Ryuji was overcome with rage, his fists clenched and teeth grit.

Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the table, shocking the other's out of their silence.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Why the hell did this have to happen?!"

"I just don't understand." Yusuke muttered, shaking his head. "He's the world's savior. For this to happen to him…"

"That kid's been abused by the system time and time again…" Sojiro sighed.

"It's not fair!" Ryuji yelled. "After everything he did, he's getting screwed over again!"

"He doesn't deserve this…" Ann muttered.

"The last time the police took him in... they beat him up so badly." Haru whispered. "What's going to happen to him…"

With every word, she could feel her guilt rising.

"I'm sorry…"

"Mako-chan?"

"I… I'm so sorry, everyone!" she cried. "Ren… he told me beforehand, but… I couldn't think of any way to stop this!"

"Mako-chan… don't blame yourself." Haru said. "It's not your fault at all…"  
"If anything, it's the fault of a stupid system!" Futaba yelled. "And the people who don't want to lose face because of us."

"If only we could go change those bastard's hearts!" Ryuji snapped. "Then he wouldn't have to go through this."

"But without our powers, there's nothing we can do to them…" Yusuke lamented.

"But the whole reason he's in jail is because he 'violated his probation', right?" Ryuji countered. "But it's based on bullshit!"

"So won't everything be fine when Shido confesses to framing him?!" Ann asked.

"That's won't be enough." she argued. "We'd need conclusive evidence…"

She hated to bring down the mood even more, but that was the reality of the situation…

But still… information…

"I could try to see if there's any information on my computer, but I can't guarantee anything." Futaba said.

Information…

"First we lost Mona-chan… and now Ren too…" Haru frowned.

"That damn cat…" Ryuji grumbled. "He was real annoyin' at times, but now that he's gone…"

"But… if Morgana were here, he wouldn't want us to just mope around!" Ann shouted.

"...That's right." she nodded. "He… would want us to keep fighting. Ren has always been there to help us… and now we're going to help him, just like we did at Sis' Palace."

"I won't stand for this!" Haru agreed. "We didn't make it this far by standing by and watching!"

"I shall not stand for it either." Yusuke said with conviction. "There must be some way to help."

"Y-Yeah, we've saved him once before, right?" Futaba added.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji grinned. "There's no way I'm giving up on our leader."

She began to feel a glimmer of hope. "Thank you, everyone. Even now, we can still change people's hearts."

"What do you mean…?" Ann asked.

"Well… Ren told me something interesting." she recalled. "He said he wants to be a politician."

"Seriously?" Futaba asked. "Even after seeing what people like Shido did?"

"That's precisely why he wants to become one." she pointed out. "He wants to be better. Someone who really stands for the people."

"I think I understand." Haru nodded. "Even after everything my father did, I still want to get into the food industry, even if it's just a small cafe."

"And it's the same for myself as well." Yusuke agreed. "Madarame's treachery did not make my love of art decline. If anything, it only made encouraged me to be even greater!"

"But what does that have to do with changing hearts?" Ryuji asked.

"It shows that he still has a strong sense of justice." she answered. "That even without his powers, and all that he's suffered, he's still willing to help people in need. If he finds some part of society to be unjust, then he will rebel."

"Now that I think about it… Ren was able to help me deal with Yamauchi." Ryuji recalled. "Because of him, we were able to get the whole team to help us, and we didn't need to change any hearts."

"It was the same for me." Haru smiled. "Without Ren, I would never have worked up the courage to speak with Takakura-san. Now, Okumura Foods is in good hands, my engagement was broken off, and I've realized my dream! All of that… without changing a single heart."

"And it was through words alone that we were able to change my sister's heart." She reminded them. "So even without the Metaverse, we aren't powerless."

The others began to recall other moments when their leader had helped them, fondly remembering him for the kind and noble soul that he was.

"So we know that as long the will to rebel, we can save him." she said. "In the end, it was the people who helped us overcome our greatest foe, correct?"

The others nodded, recalling the climactic battle against Yaldabaoth.

"Now, there may not be many of us, but I know that Ren plenty of connections as well." she said. "A recently elected politician, a journalist that covered politics, and more…"

"Sounds like a solid lead." Yusuke smiled. "I assume you mean to get into contact with these individuals?"

She nodded. "Ren left his phone behind, so it shouldn't be too much trouble. But we also need to spread awareness."

"Mishima could probably do something to help, since he runs the Phansite." Ryuji said. "And, I dunno, maybe we could hang up a couple of posters or somethin'."

"That sounds like a good idea." she agreed. "Futaba, perhaps you could print a few posters on your computer?"

"I'm on it!" Futaba grinned.

"And Yusuke, perhaps you could help her?" she asked. "To make the posters look really striking."

Yuskue nodded, smiling at the opportunity to put his skills to use.

"I'll make a few calls and try to get in contact with Ren's confidants." she said. "For now, let's try to brainstorm, and meet up again in a few days."

"I just hope we can save him soon…" Haru asked.

"Well, even if we do obtain the evidence quickly, these things take time." she pointed out. "Ideally, we should be able to get him back in early February."

"February, huh…" Ann trialed off. "Oh, I see…"

"See what?" she asked.

The blonde girl's lips curled into an amused smirk.

"You want to have him back by Valentine's, don't you?" Ann giggled, winking.

"W-What?!" she stammered. "I-I'm really worried about his safety…"

"But it would be nice, wouldn't it, Mako-chan?" Haru asked. "To spend such a special day together."

"W-Well, yes, but…"

"I still need to paint a couple, in that boat ride…" Yusuke recalled.

"W-Wait a second now…!"

She could feel her face heating up from their teasing as the others started laughing.

Although they weren't wrong…

She would love to spend Valentine's with him if she could.

She felt Futaba scoot closer, whispering into her ear.

"Are you going to give him a big kiss like the time he came back from the interrogation." she laughed.

"F-Futabaaaaa!"

* * *

After ironing out a few final details, the other thieves began to leave, no doubt thinking of how they could help their leader.

"C'mon Inari, we've got a fetch quest to do!" Futaba called. "It'll be like we're in an RPG!"

She wasn't sure what rocket propelled grenades had to do with this, but she was thankful for the help nonetheless.

"I'll try to get in contact if some of my father's connections." Haru offered.

"All right!" Ryuji cheered. "This plans lookin' better and better!"

One by one, they began to leave, in much higher spirits than before…

"Hey Makoto?" Ann called.

"Yes, Ann?"

"I'm sure this has probably been really hard on you." Ann pointed out. "Maybe even harder than anyone else… so, if you need to talk, the rest of us will be here for each other."

She grinned, knowing that no matter what, she would have strong allies at her side. "I will. Thank you."

Ann waved goodbye, heading out of the café.

"Suppose I ought to leave as well." she thought to herself, collecting her things.

"Hey."

She turned, facing the cafe owner. "Yes, Boss?"

"Thanks for everything you're doing for the kid." he smiled. "I'm not sure I'll be much help, but if you can think of anything I can do to help, tell me, ok?"

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Boss." she beamed.

She walked out of Leblanc, feeling much more confident in their chances.

She quickly headed home, eager to get started.

* * *

It was late by the time she finished planning.

She was tired, but felt very accomplished, managing to get a hold of most of Ren's confidants, even managing to squeeze in some time to study for a bit afterwards.

She closed her textbook, shifting through her bookshelf to find its proper place.

There were textbooks of math, English, law…

And an abundance of teen romance manga.

She chuckled softly to herself, remembering how she had purchased most of the right when she started dating Ren, hoping to 'study' romance.

She no longer had the need for them, but they still held fond memories of their initial awkwardness around each other, and attempting to hide the manga from her sister at first…

Hearing the door opening, she quickly put her book back into place, heading out of her room.

"Sis!" she called.

"Oh… Makoto." Sae said, looking away. "I brought dinner… have you eaten?"

"I, um… I'm not really hungry…"

"You still need to eat." her sister lightly scolded. "Could you get the table ready?"

"Right…"

* * *

Dinner went by quietly, and she really didn't feel like eating.

Still, logically, she knew she needed to eat, so she took a few reluctant bites, stealing glances at her sister as she did so.

She didn't want there to be tension between them because of this. She had to say _something_.

"Sis, I-"

"Makoto-"

They both cut each other off, glancing at each other.

"Um… you go first." she offered.

"I… just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Sae confessed. "I know how much Ren-kun means to you."

"It's not your fault, sis." she said. "I don't blame you."

She saw her sister visibly relax. "I'm glad." Sae smiled.

"Um… how's he doing?" she asked.

"Not well, I'm afraid." her sister sighed. "They're holding him in solitary confinement."

"What?!" she shouted. "But that's… he's still a high schooler! Solitary confinement is horrible for one's mental state!"

"I know." her sister said. "I wish it wasn't the case, but…"

This changed things…

No matter how fast they went about things, Ren would still be spending a long time in solitary confinement.

"In that case… Sis, you're going to be getting his testimony, right?" she asked.

Sae nodded. "That's right."

"Could you, um… go easy on him, please?"

"Don't worry." she smiled. "We're not enemies anymore. I'll go easy on him."

"Thank you. Also… I was actually hoping that you'd deliver a letter to him when I finish it." she asked. "I'm doing my best to rally everyone together, but… he's going to be so lonely. I hope that if he gets a message from all his friends and family, it'll help."

"You're going to have all of his friends write a message to him?" she asked.

"I think it might help him if he's in solitary…" she whispered.

"... All right." Sae agreed. "I'll… make a note so that I won't forget."

She handed her a notecard, smiling as she saw her sister scribble down her name and a short message for Ren when she thought she wasn't looking.

Her sister did care for Ren… even if she'd rarely say it out loud.

"Don't worry." Sae told her. "I've been looking into ways of helping him."

"So have we." she told her. "I've been working out a plan all day."

"Just don't work yourself too hard, Makoto." her sister said, worry clear in her tone.

"I know." she nodded. "I'll finish my message later. I need to tell the others about my plan."

"All right." Sae smiled. "I'll give it to him when it's ready. I… do feel obliged to help him, after all."

"Because of how he helped you?" she asked.

Sae's lips quickly curled into a slight smirk.

"Well, there's that… but also because he's going to be my brother-in-law one day." Sae teased.

"W-W-What?!" she squeaked.

* * *

"Say, Makoto?"

"Yes, sis?"

"I know that you're working hard, but would you like to watch a movie." her sister asked. "It is Christmas, after all, so I thought that maybe we could some time toget-"

"Yes, of course!" she said excitedly. "O-Oh, I mean… I would really enjoy that."

Although her sister had kept her promise to eat together as a family, there was still little time to do things together, with how busy they had both been, so she very much welcomed the opportunity to spend time with her.

As her sister came out carrying a movie, she quickly moved to give her a hug.

"Merry Christmas, sis." she whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Makoto." Sae smiled, returning the hug.

She sat down, wondering what movie her sister had picked out.

She assumed her sister would just put on one of her yakuza movies.

That was not the case, however.

Hearing a familiar jingle, and a flash of bright colors, she recoiled in horror, realizing what her sister had put on.

Buchimaru Saves Christmas.

"Just like old times, right?" Sae teased. "I remember you used to drag Father and myself down every Christmas just so we could watch this. It was something of a tradition, even."

"Urghhhh…" she groaned, covering her face in her hands. "Sis, that was years ago!"

"Well, maybe I was just feeling nostalgic." her sister said. "Besides, you still love Buchimaru, don't you?"

"I-I… I haven't watched it in forever!" she defended.

"Makoto…"

"What?!"

"You watched it last Christmas."

"That was twelve months ago!"

Her older sister simply laughed, turning her attention to the screen.

Soon, she found her own attention focused on the screen too, once again finding herself engrossed in the story of how Buchimaru saved Christmas.

And when the movie finally ended, she found herself soothed by the gentle melody that played during the credits, slowly beginning to nod off.

"Hey, Makoto…" her sister trailed off. "What's your opinion on defense attorneys?"

"H-Huh?" she mumbled, already half asleep.

"Oh, it's nothing…" her sister said. "Good night, Makoto."

She shut her eyes and drifted to sleep.


	3. Empress, Hanged Man and Sun

It had been a few days since Ren's arrest.

In fact, today was even New Year's.

Normally, it would be a time to celebrate, but as she glanced at the others gathered around her, she did not see cheery or excited expressions, but rather fierce resolve and strength of will.

"Man… everyone's having a great time celebratin' the new year." Ryuji said, staring out at the crowd

"I just wish he could he could be with us." Ann sighed.

"Maybe next year then." Haru smiled. "We'll definitely have him back by then."

"Inari and I've finished the quest." Futaba beamed. "So onto the next step."

"Was there any particular need to call us all here?" Yusuke asked. "We all have our phones, yes?"

"I… just thought that it would be nice to meet up in person." she confessed.

Yusuke gave a small smile, nodding his head. "I suppose so."

"Now then… I managed to get into contact with most of Ren's confidants." she discussed. "And I've made arrangements to meet with most of them."

"Any word on how Ren is doing?" Haru asked.

Her expression soured as she glanced at her feet.

"My sister has been telling me the latest details about the case." she said. "They… they have him in solitary confinement."

Once again, she saw their expressions morph into rage and grief.

"How can they be so cruel?" Haru whispered.

"Ren's so strong… but even he has a limit." Ann mumbled. "What if… being alone for so long breaks him?"

"Then we'll fix him."

They looked at her, surprised at the firmness in her tone.

They might not be in the Metaverse, but she was still Queen.

"Ren didn't give up on us when we were imprisoned in the Velvet Room, at our lowest." she said. "So we won't give up on him either."

Seeing their attention focused on her, she continued. "Since my sister will be meeting with him for his testimony, she agreed to deliver a message. That's why I was hoping that we could all write a small message to him."

"Yeah… sounds like a good idea." Futaba nodded.

"I brought some paper and pencils with me." she said, taking them out of her bag. "If you would please…"

One by one, they eagerly took the paper and pencils from his hands.

"It's important that we save him… but we also need to let Ren know how we feel." she said. "And we will do that, no matter what it takes!"

The others gave a loud cheer before going their separate ways, hoping to work on their letters. Quickly, she pulled Haru aside.

"Haru, wait!"

"Huh? Did you need something, Mako-chan?"

"I was going to see a few of Ren's confidants. Would you like to accompany me?"

"I'd love to!" Haru beamed. "Who were you planning on seeing?"

"Well, first I was planning on heading to Untouchable." she said. "I was hoping to ask a favor of Iwai-san."

"Are you going to have him write a message as well?" Haru asked.

"Yes, but I also had something else in mind." she told her.

"Then let's get going!" Haru beamed.

* * *

She wasn't new to Untouchable. She had been there multiple times before to purchase weaponry for the Phantom Thieves when Ren was busy.

Still, it was always exciting to stop by.

Iwai was practically identical to the protagonists of some of her Yakuza movies! He was so cool!

"Oh my." Haru gasped. "So this is where you got all of those model weapons… oh!"

Haru immediately rushed to the other side of the shop, intrigued by the selection of model grenade launchers and axes.

Not seeing Iwai at the counter, she figured that he must be in the back, so she picked up a magazine about motorcycles from rack, flipping through it.

It didn't take long for the Iwai to finish his business in the back, and he quickly took notice of her.

"More modifications?" the man grunted.

"Not today, Iwai-san." she said. "I actually had something else in mind… regarding Ren."

She didn't think it was possible, but the man's face grew even more serious.

"I assume that you saw the news?" she asked.

"I did." he said. "So, why come to me?"

She glanced around the shop before her eyes settled on the door leading to the back room.

"I had a favor to ask of you." she whispered.

Quickly getting her message, the older man opened the door in the back, gesturing for her to follow.

"Haru, keep an eye out, would you?" she asked.

"Don't worry, Mako-chan!" Haru grinned, holding a model grenade launcher at the ready. "I'll take care of it!"

"Right…"

The two of them went into the back room, and she couldn't help but feel excited… and a little nervous.

This was like a scene right out of Like a Dragon!

"So… what did you want to say?" Iwai asked, cutting to the chase.

"I can't help but worry about him." she confessed. "I've heard that he's being held in solitary, but I don't want to take any chances."

Iwai nodded, urging her to continue.

She cleared her throat, a sweet smile at odds with her sinister words...

"Now Iwai-san, I trust that you've already informed your associates in prison to look out for him, and that there will be… consequences for anyone who hurts my dear Ren?" she smiled, voice sweet as honey.

The shop owner let out a small chuckle at her sudden change in demeanor.

"I was just planning to meet up with a few… acquaintances of mine." the man smirked. "They've got connections on the inside… so I figured it was time to call in a few favors."

"Excellent." she beamed. "That's very reassuring."

At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone messing with him.

"The last time he was taken in by the police… they beat him so badly…"

The gun shop owner frowned. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen this time."

"Thank you."

As the two of them went to exit the back room, they saw Haru conversing with a boy who looked to be a few years younger than them.

"Are you a student at Shujin?" the boy asked.

"Yes, I'm a third year." Haru answered. "And so is my friend Mako-chan. She's… oh, there you are, Mako-chan!"

"Who's this, Haru?" Makoto asked.

"Kaoru, are you bothering customers?" Iwai grunted.

"Oh no, Iwai-san, he's not any trouble at all." Haru beamed. "Do you know each other?"

"He's my son." Iwai answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she greeted.

"L-Likewise…" Karou trailed off. "Hey, would you two happen to know Ren Amamiya?"

"I'm a good friend of his." Haru explained. "And Mako-chan here is his girlfriend."

"Oh, ok." Kaoru nodded. "Ren-san actually helped my dad and I out a while ago."

"I did hear about that." she smiled.

"Actually, we were hoping that maybe you could help Ren." Haru asked. "Mako-chan, did you tell them about the letter?"

"Oh! I nearly forgot!" she exclaimed, pulling out some paper from her bag. "I was hoping that you could write a small message for Ren. I think he could really use the support from everyone he knows."

"Not the greatest at this sort of thing." Iwai admitted. "But I'll see what I can do."

"Um… would it be alright if I wrote a message to him too?" Kaoru asked.

"Of course!" Haru nodded. "The more the merrier!"

"I really appreciate this, you two." she said. "And I'm sure that Ren will as well."

She patiently waited as the two of them wrote a small message.

"I have to ask… how exactly are you going to get these letters to him in jail?" Iwai wondered, handing her his letter. "If he's in solitary, then they're probably keeping a sharp eye on him."

"Let's just say… that I have connections of my own, Iwai-san." she said in a sweet tone. "Any more specifics are on a need to know basis."

She saw Kaoru stare at her in surprise, but Iwai simply laughed.

"Kid's lucky to have someone like you." Iwai smirked. "I sure wouldn't want to be your enemy."

"Of course!" Haru agreed. "Mako-chan's very protective of the people she's close to. Why, the last person who tried to hurt Ren… Mako-chan slammed a chair into their face _and _gave them a black eye to match their mask."

"You don't need to tell them that, Haru…" Makoto sighed.

"But it must have felt so cathartic, right?" Haru teased.

Well… she wasn't wrong.

She glanced around, seeing Kaoru staring at her with wide eyes, a mixture of fear and respect on his face.

"Y-You're so cool…" he whispered.

"Heh… there's a lesson for you, Kaoru." Iwai chuckled. "Looks can be deceiving."

"I-It's not like we're sadists or anything!" she quickly defended. "Right, Haru?"

"Oooooh, I like this one, Mako-chan." Haru beamed.

Haru giggled behind her, a wicked gleam in her eye as she held an axe in her arms.

"Urgghh…"

* * *

With the trip to Untouchable proceeding (mostly) without incident, they continued onto their next destination.

"Mako-chan, why are we heading towards the Diet Building?" Haru wondered.

"I mentioned that Ren knew a politician, didn't I?" she responded. "Unfortunately, I was not able to get ahold of him. He must be quite busy, so I was hoping that I might run into him here.

"Oh, yes, I remember now!" Haru nodded. "Yes, hopefully we'll run into hl-"

"And because of this unjust oppression by the government, this young man continues to suffer for a crime that he did not commit!"

A booming voice interrupted her, the two girls turning to see a middle-aged man speaking passionately to other members of the Diet.

"That's him." Makoto smiled. "Let's let him finish his speech first."

"He is not a criminal." Toranosuke continued. "He is a promising young man who will support this country's future! Time and time again he has been a victim of injustice, and yet he still strives to do the right thing! Where is the justice in a country that would continue to imprison such an individual?!"

The speech went on for a few more minutes, and by the end, much to her relief, she could see several of the other Diet Members nodding along, listening intently.

Seeing him give a speech in person made it all too apparent why Ren held so much respect for the man.

As the Diet Members began to disperse, the two girls quickly caught up to Toranosuke.

"Very impressive speech." she said, getting his attention.

"Oh, hello there." the man greeted. "Were you interested?"

"Very much so." she nodded. "And congratulations on your election."

Hearing Ren speak so passionately about the man, and doing research on her own, she had decided that he would be an ideal candidate to vote for.

"Thank you very much." the man beamed. "It's nice to see people so young take a strong interest in politics."

"It's very important." she nodded. "Especially after everything that happened recently. To think that someone as vile as Shido was nearly made Prime Minister, and that so many innocent people suffered because of him… even now, people are suffering because of him. That's why I want to do my part to support this country's future."

"You've got a strong sense of justice." the politician observed. "You remind me of a young man I know."

"Ren Amamiya, right?" Haru asked.

"Ah, so you two know him." Toranosuke smiled.

"He's a dear friend of mine." Haru said. "I'm Haru Okumura, and this is-"

"Makoto Niijima. Ren is my boyfriend." she beamed.

She had to admit, after keeping their relationship secret for so long, being able to tell others about their relationship… about how she was his, and he was hers…

It made her feel happy.

"Yoshida Toranosuke." the man greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you."

As soon as he introduced himself, however, the man frowned, letting out a sigh. "You have my condolences for what happened to him."

"Thank you." Haru said. "But we really appreciate you doing what you can to help him."

The politician let out a small smile. "Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure that he's set free."

"I-I really can't thank you enough." she expressed. "Ren always speaks so highly of you… that you're his inspiration and… I'm really glad to have you on our side.

"I'm just glad that he has such good friends and loved ones in his circle." the politician smiled. "There's only so much that one person can do on their own, after all."

"Absolutely." Haru nodded. "We'll always be there to help each other!"

"It's… because of Ren that I was able to discover my dream." she admitted.

"It's the same for me." Haru agreed.

"Oh? And what would those be?" Toranosuke inquired.

"I want to become a police commissioner and change things from the inside." she answered. "I… I've seen firsthand the corruption and brutality present in the force. And I want to change it."

"It's a bit similar for me." Haru brought up. "I've witnessed plenty of corruption in the food industry, but I still want to open up a small cafe someday. I want my cafe to be welcoming and loved by all."

"Very admirable goals." Toranosuke said. "I'm sure that you'll achieve them!"

"Thank you!" Haru beamed.

"Yes, thank you." she said. "And, if it's not too much trouble… perhaps you could write a small message to Ren? I'm sure he'd really appreciate it."

"Of course. I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

He wrote down a message, and after spending a few more minutes conversing about Ren and the justice system, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

* * *

"Things are turning out great so far, Mako-chan!" Haru cheered.

"They are, but we still have a lot of work to do." she noted. "But seeing how everything has gone so far… I am hopeful."

"Well, for now, why don't we take a break." Haru suggested. "I'm sure that you've been working very hard this whole time."

She wanted to save Ren as soon as possible, but she knew she needed rest...

"Well… I suppose I should take a small break."

"Great! We could… oh, I know!" Haru exclaimed. "Would you like to head back to my house and make some sweets? It is a holiday, after all."

"Well… alright. That sounds like fun, Haru."

* * *

The two girls made their way to Haru's home, waiting on their cookies to finish baking.

"And finished!" Haru said.

"Finished what, Haru?"

"My letter to Ren, of course." Haru answered.

"Oh, I see." she responded. "To be honest… I haven't been able to think about what to say."

"I'm sure that you'll figure it out soon enough." Haru encouraged.

"I hope so…" she whispered. "Anyway, it was certainly interesting meeting Toranosuke."

"It was." Haru agreed. "It_ was_ interesting seeing the man who inspired him. It's no wonder he's such a great leader, not to mention very inspiring himself."

"True… before I met Ren and the others… I was unsure what I wanted to do with myself." she confessed.

"I suppose we were similar in that regard." Haru observed. "Neglected, lonely, always following orders, and unsure of our futures."

"Yeah…" she nodded. "But thanks to Ren, I suppose we've figured out what we want to be in life."

"Exactly! When I graduate, I was hoping to apprentice at Leblanc." Haru beamed. "It'll be the first step to achieving my dream!"

"You mentioned that your grandfather owned a cafe." she recalled. "Were you inspired by him?"

Haru shook her head. "Not exactly. I've just always had a passion for gardening and brewing. But knowing the kind of cafe my grandfather had makes me want to make one just like it."

"My father was actually a police officer." she brought up. "When I was little, I wanted to be just like him. I still admire him, but now my reasons to become a police officer are my own. I want to help victims of injustice and reform the system."

"I'm sure you can do it, Mako-chan!" Haru cheered. "And I'm sure Ren will do the same."

"Yes. I know he'd make an excellent politician" she nodded. "And I'll support him every step of the way. And for you as well, Haru."

"Thank you, Mako-chan." Haru smiled. "I'm glad to have your support, as well as Ren's. And… it's good that the two of you are getting into positions for the right reasons."

She bit her lip, remembering the selfish reasons that Haru's father wanted to become a politician.

"How's your relationship with your sister, Mako-chan?" Haru asked.

"It's… been much better." she answered. "We've been spending a lot more time together."

"That's nice…"

"Haru, I…"

"It's fine, Mako-chan." Haru assured her. "I'm not jealous. I'm actually very happy for you!"

"You're… very kind, Haru." she said. "I'm not sure that I would feel the same if I was in your shoes."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Mako-chan." Haru advised. "Nor should you focus on what ifs. Instead, we should look towards the future! So let's promise to achieve our dreams."

"Alright, I promise." she giggled.

*Beep Beep Beep*

"Oh, the cookies are ready!" Haru gasped. "Let me fetch them!"

Haru grabbed the cookies out of the oven, waiting a few minutes for them to cool off before the two dug in.

"Oh, these are really good, Haru!" she praised.

"Thank you! I'll have to get very good at making desserts as well for my cafe!"

"About that… say, Haru…"

"Yes, Mako-chan?"

She glanced at her feet, suddenly feeling a tad nervous.

"Let's say… hypothetically, you wanted to give someone a gift for a… a very special day." she mumbled. "Like say… sweets. Do you think that it would be preferable to buy them some, or make it yourself?"

"Well, Mako-chan, it the person in this 'hypothetical' scenario good at making sweets?"

"I… would say so, yes."

"Then I think you should make something from the heart!" Haru encouraged. "Ren would love it if you made your own chocolates for Valentines!"

"You think so…?" she asked. "W-Wait, I mean… I wasn't talking about… well, um..."

She looked away, a blush creeping onto her face as Haru giggled.

"Mako-chan… I once asked Ren the same thing… but I wanted to ask you as well…" Haru trailed off. "When I finally open my cafe… I want you to be my first customer… you and Ren."

"Haru… I would love to." she beamed.

"Then it's a promise!" Haru said, equally as happy.

The two finished their treats, Haru handing over her letter to Ren before she departed for home.

There was still plenty of work to do, but for now… the future was looking bright.


	4. Hermit, Tower, and Hierophant

She had been working hard the past few days.

And yet, despite that, she still wasn't able to decide what she wanted to write for her letter.

How could she possibly begin to express the depths of her feelings for him?

She sighed, placing her pencil down, having made no progress.

Hoping to at least get some studying in, she pulled out her textbook, only to be interrupted by her phone buzzing.

Futaba: Makoto, can you come over to Leblanc?

She raised an eyebrow, wondering what the issue was.

Makoto: Is everything ok, Futaba?

Futaba: Some police officers came by a few hours ago.

Makoto: What did they want?

Futaba: They said they wanted to talk to Sojiro. But he's still not back…

What could they possibly want with Boss?

Whatever it was, she had a bad feeling about…

Makoto: Ok. I'll be there as soon as I can. Hold tight, ok?

Futaba: Thank you.

She glanced over at the clock.

"It'll still be a bit before the next train comes…" she mused. "I wonder… has Futaba eaten yet?"

She fixed a quick meal for the two of them before heading out, taking the train to Leblanc, making sure to bring some paper and a pencil just in case inspiration for her message struck her on the way.

"Futaba?" she called out as she entered the cafe.

She glanced around, seeing the younger girl curled up into a ball at one of the booths.

Wordlessly, she sat down next to Futaba, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be ok." she said soothingly. "I'm sure that they just wanted to ask him a few questions about Ren."

"I know, but… back when he changed Shido's heart, a couple of his goons came here and made a mess of the place and took him." Futaba recalled. "Nothing happened, but…"

"I understand." she sympathized. "But I don't think that you need to worry."

"W-Why not?" Futaba stammered.

"Now that Ren's turned himself in… there's no point in them going after us." she answered. "Especially not when the public's keeping such a watchful eye on anything involving Shido."

"Then why would they want to talk to him in the first place?" Futaba asked.

"Well…" she trailed off. "Maybe… they're talking to him because they want to get some dirt on Ren, and they're hoping that Boss will give it to them."

"But Sojiro would never do that!" Futaba exclaimed.

"So there's nothing to worry about, right?" she smiled, hoping to calm Futaba down.

"I… yeah, maybe." Futaba nodded, still looking a little anxious. "A-Are you sure everything's going to be ok?

"It will." she promised. "Ren and my sister will make sure nothing bad happens to the rest of us."

"It's just not fair." Futaba grumbled. "We beat the final boss, so where's our happy ending?"

"It'll happen. I know it will." she assured her. "We just need to keep doing our best."

"But it feels like we've been working so hard, but nothing's happened…"

Admittedly, she was beginning to feel the same, even if she knew that these things took time.

She had promised Ren that she would look after the others, and she knew that he wouldn't want her working herself to the bone, so maybe...

"Why don't we take a break?" she suggested. "To get our minds off of all of that for a bit."

"What would we do?" Futaba wondered.

"Whatever you want." she beamed. "Maybe there's a game that you'd like?"

"Um… I saw an arcade in Akihabara when I went with Ren. Can we go there?!"

"Sure we can." she answered. "If that's what you want."

"Alright!" Futaba said, finally letting out a smile. "Then let's get goi-"

*GRRRRRHMMM*

"Urgggh…" Futaba groaned. "Need… gamer… fuel…"

"Gamer fuel?" she repeated.

"I hunger…" Futaba muttered. "And Sojiro and Ren aren't here to feed meeeee…."

"Well then, you're lucky that I anticipated this." she said, bringing out two boxed lunches. "I brought food."

"Thanks! You're the best, Makoto!" Futaba exclaimed, quickly digging into her meal.

"You're very welcome." she replied.

After enjoying the meal she prepared, (which was very healthy, of course!) she left a note for Sojiro explaining where they were, and the two of them made their way to Akihabara.

She was familiar with the area, of course, but she had never actually been there. She couldn't help but find herself to be a little overwhelmed by all advertisements and merchandise everywhere.

"This is… certainly something…" she whispered. "I feel a little out of place…"

"Well, you, Ren, and the others helped me out of my comfort zone, so now I can help you out of yours!" Futaba grinned.

She did have a point. Maybe this could be a good experience for her.

"So, see anything interesting?"

"I'm not sure." she confessed. "Maybe we could just look around for now?"

"Yeah, ok." Futaba nodded, looking ahead. "Hmm… I just wish there were less crowds…"

"Just stay close to me, ok?" she consoled.

"Ok." Futaba agreed, quickly huddling close to her. "Just pretend I'm a remora!"

"More like a squid." she giggled.

"Argh! Why did Ren have to tell you about the squid girl thing?!" she groaned. "And why does he have these strange dreams anyway?!"

"Apparently, it happens whenever he goes to bed early." she recalled. "One time, he said he had a dream where he where he was in a fighting game, and he met this strange skeleton that kept making puns… and for some reason he was named after a font."

"HE WHAT?!" Futaba yelled. "He… he met him… and he didn't even tell me?!"

"Um… is he a big deal?"

"Of course he's a big deal!" Futaba exclaimed. "I'm so jealous…"

"Um… right." she said, not quite sure how to respond.

* * *

Wandering around with Futaba, she took the time to take in all the sights and browse through various anime and manga.

After a while, they stumbled upon a store filled with all kinds of figurines and other merchandise.

"Some of these figurines are really expensive…" she observed. "They look nice, but I feel like they'd just gather dust…"

"But they're totally worth it!" Futaba claimed. "My Neo Feathermen figures cost a lot, but didn't they look super cool?!"

"I suppose… w-w-wait!"

"What is it, Makoto?" Futaba wondered.

"I-I-It's some attachable parts for my motorcycle figurine!" she gasped.

"Heheheh… now you understand." Futaba laughed.

She quickly looked at the price tag, and seeing that it wasn't too expensive, she decided to grab it.

"Anything else catch your eye, Makoto?"

"Let's see…" she trailed off, glancing around the store. "Oh, what about that?!"

She spotted a tiny little Jack Frost figurine tucked away at the back of the shop.

"I wonder if Ren would like this..." she thought.

"Hmm…"

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"... Isn't it weird how there's merchandise of some of shadows we fought." Futaba mentioned.

"Huh. Yeah, that is very weird." she agreed.

Well, best not to dwell on that too much.

"Alright, I think I'm going to buy these, and then we can head towards the arcade, ok?"

The younger girl nodded excitedly, eagerly waiting as she purchased her items and followed her to the arcade.

"So, have you ever been to an arcade before?" Futaba asked.

"A few times…" she recalled. "Ren actually brought me to one back when I first joined the team. It might have actually improved our marksmanship in the Metaverse."

"Well, there's a ton of shooting games here." Futaba pointed out. "Some of them are even co-op! So, what do you think?"

"Sounds like fun."

Surprisingly, all of her training in the Metaverse had proven to be quite effective when it came to these arcade games, so it wasn't like was bad at the game or anything…

But she still couldn't help but feel embarrassed at how she instinctively ducked and weaved as the enemy's onscreen shot at her, letting out little gasps whenever they hit her.

The fact that the two of them had attracted a crowd didn't help matters in the slightest.

Just as she was considering throwing the game to save herself from further embarrassment, the enemies finally overwhelmed the two of them, causing her to let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow… you were really getting into it." Futaba smirked, struggling not to burst out laughing.

She bit her lip, a face flushed in embarrassment.

"Hey, you two were pretty good."

She turned around, seeing a young boy with a strange red hat behind them.

"What on Earth does 'Get Smoked' mean?" she thought.

"Thank you… but I suppose that I got a little carried away, didn't I?" she asked.

"That's ok." the boy shrugged. "Sometimes I get a little carried away myself. I'm Shinya, by the way."

"I'm Futaba, and this is Makoto!" Futaba greeted.

"Wait… Shinya. As in Shinya Oda?" she asked.

"Have you heard about me?" Shinya grinned. "A lot of people call me 'The King'."

"Ren actually told me about you." she told him.

"You know Ren?!" Shinya gasped. "Did he teach you how to play?'

"Nah, I've had plenty of practice with these types of games!" Futaba bragged. "You should see me play Apartment of the Deceased!"

"He did teach me, though." she said. "We went to the arcade and played a few games together."

"He got her a big panda plushie!" Futaba laughed.

"U-Um… yes, he did do that." she said, her face beginning to flush.

"...Are you his girlfriend or something?" Shinya asked, head tilted in curiosity.

"Yes, I am." she bashfully smiled.

The young gamer gave a big grin. "That must make you my big sister!"

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered.

"Ren's kinda like a big brother to me." Shinya admitted. "So, if you're his girlfriend, that sorta makes you like my big sister!"

"I-I, um… ah… I don't…" she stammered, unable to keep up with his logic.

She expected Futaba to burst out laughing at Shinya's remark, but when she glanced at her, she looked… conflicted.

"Older siblings, huh…" Futaba mumbled.

"Futaba…?"

Futaba walked in front of Shinya, pointing at him.

"You. Me. These shooter games. Let's go!"

"Oh?" You're challenging me?" Shinya smirked.

"Yeah! I'm going to kick your butt!" Futaba taunted.

"Bring it on!"

What got her all competitive…?

* * *

The two of them were in the middle of their match, the crowd gathering to watch as the two of them were deep in concentration.

"Woah, this girl's actually giving the King a run for his money."

"I can't tell who's going to win!"

After an intense match, Shinya barely managed to come out on top.

"Urggh, no way!" Futaba cried. "I was sooo close!"

"You were pretty good, though." Shinya complimented. "I haven't had a match that close in a while."

"Yeah… you were pretty awesome too." Futaba said. "But it looks like neither of us got the top score."

"Yeah…" Shinya trailed off. "Because the person with the top score is…"

She glanced at the screen, wincing as she saw who had the top score.

"Ren…" she whispered.

Seeing her distress, Shinya turned to the crowd of people that had gathered to watch.

"You see that guy with the top score?" Shinya asked. "He's a really good friend of mine. I really wanted to go up against him again, but I heard he's been arrested for a crime he didn't commit."

Her eyes widened, and she saw the members of the crowd turned towards the young gamer.

"But I can't help him by myself." Shinya lamented. "We're going to need lots of people to help."

"Yeah!" Futaba agreed. "We could have online forums or signatures!"

Shinya nodded, thankful for her help.

"Listen… we all need to speak up and tell people that it doesn't make sense that he was arrested for something that he didn't do." Shinya pleaded. "So please… help him out."

Some of the bystanders looked skeptical, while others looked sympathetic.

Hopefully, some of them would at least look into the case, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding it.

As the crowd began to disperse, she walked up to the young gamer, a bright smile on her face.

"Thank you for that." she beamed. "I really appreciate what you did there."

"No problem." Shinya smiled. "I know that I can't do much on my own, but I want to do whatever I can to help."

"Then… maybe you could help me with something?" she asked. "I was hoping to deliver a bunch of letters to Ren from all of his friends. Would you like to write one?"

"Sure, but how's that going to help him?" Shinya asked, confused.

"I just thought… that he must feel so alone, cooped up in a cell." she whispered. "I was hoping that these letters might make him feel better."

"I didn't think of that…" Shinya mumbled. "Well, if it'll help him, then I'll definitely write him a letter!"

"Thank you very much." she smiled, reaching into her bag and handing him some paper and a pencil.

"I just wish I could do more." the gamer sighed. "I wanted to be strong to protect my mom, but I wish I could protect him too."

"Your mother?" she questioned.

"My mom and I didn't get along well at first." Shinya admitted. "And she used to tell me that life was all about winning, and that you needed to win by any means necessary. That once you lose, it's over. I… I thought that I didn't meet her expectations, she wouldn't love me for being weak."

She felt a pang of sympathy for the boy as he recalled a story that was all too familiar to her.

"Hey, now…" she whispered, offering a gentle smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's more to life than winning or losing. What really matters is what makes you happy. You're not weak _or _useless. I'm sure that Ren will really appreciate what you're doing for him."

"I know that now." Shinya nodded. "Since the Phantom Thieves changed her heart, she's been much better. And now, I want to be strong so that I can help people, just like the Phantom Thieves!"

"That sounds wonderful." she praised. "I… was actually in a similar situation myself."

"You were?"

"Yes." she nodded. "My sister… she had a similar philosophy, and I was always worrying if I was a burden to her. But like you, I now realize what I want to do. But thankfully, we managed to change her heart."

"We?" Shinya questioned. "Are you…"

"The second in command." she answered. "But don't tell anyone, ok?"

He nodded, an eager grin on his face.

Along the way, I realized that I wanted to be strong so that I can protect people. That's why I want to become the police commissioner!"

"Woah, you're… you're so cool, big sis!" Shinya exclaimed.

"T-Thanks…" she said, a little embarrassed.

"Well, right now, Ren needs our help!" Futaba said. "So let's do our best and finish these letters!"

Shinya and Futaba finished their messages to Ren and handed them to her, the two gamers promising each other that they'd have a rematch in the future.

After playing a few more games in the arcade, the two decided to head back to Leblanc.

* * *

The two of them entered the cafe, only to find out that they weren't the only ones there.

"Sojiro!" Futaba called, quickly running up to him. "You're finally back!"

"Sorry I took so long." Sojiro sighed. "Those cops just wouldn't let me go."

"Did they want to talk to you about Ren?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah." he grumbled. "The entire damn time, they were trying to get me to badmouth him, saying it'd be over much quicker if I gave them what they wanted. They just wanted to find some other crime to pin on him."

"B-But you didn't tell them anything, did you?" Futaba asked.

"Course not." Sojiro smiled. "They didn't get anything out of me."

She let out a sigh of relief. She trusted Boss, but a part of her was worried that they might have done something to him.

"Say, would you like to stay for dinner?" Sojiro offered. "I just started making some fresh curry."

"Yeah, Makoto, you've gotta stay!" Futaba said.

"I appreciate the offer, Boss, but I really should be getting home to make dinner for sis and myself."

"Well, why don't I make a little extra for you to bring home for your sister after you eat?" Sojiro offered.

"Well… all right." she relented. "Thank you Boss."

"I'll be upstairs, Makoto." Futaba called. "Call me when it's ready, Sojiro!"

She watched Futaba head upstairs, likely to play on Ren's console, and turned to address Sojiro.

"Thanks again for the curry for me and my sister." she said.

"It's the least I can do." Sojiro smiled. "Thanks for watching out for her, by the way."

"You're welcome, Boss." she nodded. "We had a lot of fun."

"That's good." he said. "How's… your plan coming along?"

"Progress is slow, but consistent." she explained. "Actually… there was something you could help with?"

"Oh?"

"I was hoping that everyone Ren knows could write a message to him in jail." she told him. "So, could you write a small message to him… and if it's not too much trouble, could you contact his parents and have them do the same?"

"Don't worry, I can handle that." he assured her. "Now why don't you relax upstairs. It'll be a bit before the curry's done."

She nodded, heading upstairs, grateful to be able to take the time to relax, as well as having so many people helping Ren.

* * *

She headed upstairs, Futaba managing to rope her into a 2 player fighting game.

She quickly picked up the controls but found herself helpless in the face of Futaba's experience, losing the first few rounds to her.

But she didn't let that deter her, instead finding herself all the more determined to win!

And with each match, she noticed that she got a little better. However, she also noticed that Futaba's gameplay was becoming slightly sloppier, as if she was distracted…

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Can I… talk to you about something personal?"

"Futaba, you can talk to me about anything." she assured her.

"O-Ok." Futaba stammered, still playing the game at the same time. "I just… wasn't sure where else to turn."

What could this be about…?

"Um… I been thinking about someone lately…" Futaba said.

"Shinya?"

"No, not him." Futaba said, shaking her head. "And not Ren either. It's someone else…"

"Who is it, Futaba?" she asked.

Futaba bit her lip for a few seconds, as if she was embarrassed to say.

"Um… Makoto" Futaba muttered. "How do you know… if you like someone?"

Oh.

Ohhhhhhh!

"Oh, Futaba." she smiled. "You have a crush, don't you?"

"I-I don't know!" Futaba stammered. "It's just… he's a total weirdo, but… I'm always thinking about him, and I like hanging out with him, or seeing him happy… it makes my heart go all doki doki!"

"Well, that certainly sounds like a crush to me." she told her.

"S-So what do I do?!" Futaba blurted out. "Y-You're the only girl I know who's dating someone, so…"

She had a pretty good idea who she was talking about, and while she didn't want to embarrass her _too _much… she suddenly thought of a rather devious plan that would make any trickster proud.

...Maybe Ren had rubbed off on her more than she realized.

"Why don't you ask him out?" she answered.

"A-Ask him out?!" Futaba gasped. "B-But I don't know if he likes me back!"

"Well, asking him out would be a good way to figure that out, wouldn't it?" she countered.

"Maybe…" Futaba admitted. "Now if wonder where we could go on a first date…"

"Well…" she trailed off, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I heard there's going to be a new art exhibit opening up soon."

Futaba dropped her controller to the ground, a shocked expression on her face.

"H-How did you…?"

She quickly pressed her advantage, knocking out Futaba's fighter and taking the win.

"All right!" she cheered, giving a small fist pump in celebration.

"N-No fair!" Futaba complained. "You distracted me!"

She couldn't help but laugh, the younger girl quickly joining in.

"Curry's ready you two!" she heard Sojiro call from downstairs.

"All right!" Futaba cheered. "It's curry time!"

She followed the younger girl downstairs, enjoying a pleasant dinner with the Sakura's before heading home in a much brighter mood than before.


	5. Emperor, Star, and Devil

Dear Ren,

I have no idea what to say…

Still, she had made no progress on her letter.

And still, they had made no progress at freeing Ren.

She had collected Sojiro's message, as well as a message that Ren's parents had sent for him, but still…

No progress.

She continued to lie in bed, her headband off, cuddled with her Buchimaru plush.

She loved her little Buchi, she really did, but he was a poor substitute for her boyfriend…

She looked at the time, seeing it was an hour after she normally got up.

"Who cares?" she muttered. "I just want to sleep a little longer…"

She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

It was nearly noon when she got up.

Figuring that it would be rude to stand up the people she promised to meet today, she finally crawled out of bed, hoping against hope that she might reach a breakthrough today.

She took the train to Kanda, heading towards the church.

Right outside, however, she noticed a familiar face.

"Yusuke?" she called.

The artist turned, and she spied a few posters in his hand. "Ah, Makoto. I was just hanging up these posters that Futaba and I made."

"Thank you for that." she nodded.

His eyes narrowed, looking her over, as if she were a piece of art.

"Um… Yusuke? What are you doing?"

"You're distressed." Yusuke bluntly stated.

"I-I… Is it really that obvious?" she whispered.

"I do a lot of people watching." Yusuke answered. "So, yes, it is rather obvious."

"Does that… help with your art?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Immensely." he answered. "Lately, however, I've been watching how people react to the posters I've been putting up."

"And… how has that been going?"

"Quite a few people stopped to look it over." Yusuke smiled, a hint of pride in his tone. "We made it look quite striking."

"Not to mention that the public's keeping a very watchful eye on anything involving Shido." she added.

"Indeed." he nodded. "Speaking of which… would the case happen to be the reason for your distress?"

Yusuke was never one to me mince words, she found.

"Yes… Logically, I know these things take time, and yet…"

"Have you come here to pray for him?" Yusuke wondered.

"No, that's not it." she said. "I was going to meet with my Shogi Master."

"Ah, Togo-san." Yusuke nodded. "She's actually busy with an interview at the moment."

"An interview?" she repeated. "That's weird. She's normally not very fond of being in the spotlight."

"Well, we can ask her about it after she's finished." Yusuke said.

A few minutes later, some interviewers and cameramen exited the church, and as soon as they did, she scurried inside, only to bump into someone.

"S-Sorry!"

"No, no, it's my fa-"

She cut herself off, gasping as she saw who she had run into.

"H-Honorable Shogi Master!" she cried, offering a small bow.

Hifumi sighed. "I told you not to call me… never mind."

"Afternoon, Togo-san." Yusuke greeted.

"Oh, Kitagawa-kun, you're here too." Hifumi said.

"I was hanging posters outside concerning Ren's case."

"I see." Hifumi nodded, smiling. "I was just talking about him myself."

"Is that what your interview was about?" she asked.

"I don't like having to use my fame to my advantage, but this is an exception." Hifumi stated. "I told those interviewers what type of person he is, and that I truly believed in his innocence. I even brought up that I was able to escape the fixed matches situation because of him."

"It truly shows the kind of man he is." Yusuke smiled.

"Yes, it does." she agreed. "Thank you for telling them that."

"I had to do it." Hifumi said, a determined expression on her face. "He's helped me so much, so now I want to help him."

"Then maybe you'd consider writing a small message for him?" she asked.

"Oh, of course." Hifumi beamed. "I'd be happy too."

She handed her paper and a pencil and watched as she quickly scribbled down a note.

"Everyone already knows what they're going to write..." she thought. "Everyone but me…"

"While you're here, could you care for a few matches?" Hifumi asked.

"Oh, sure, I'd love to."

"Would you like to play too, Kitagawa-kun?" Hifumi said, bringing out her shogi board.

"I'd rather just watch." Yusuke answered.

She sat down next to Hifumi, ready to take her on in another round of Shogi.

* * *

"You seem… distracted." Hifumi observed as she captured another one of her pieces.

"N-No, it's just… I haven't played in a while." she excused.

"Well…" Hifumi trailed off. "I suppose I'm a little distracted myself.

Hifumi's eyes glanced to her side, where Yusuke was doing his familiar finger framing motion at the two of them.

"Such refinement, all while locked in a fierce battle of wits…" he whispered.

"Does he do this often?" Hifumi asked.

"You get used to it." she said, offering her a sympathetic smile.

"I'll take your word for it… also, check."

"H-Huh?"

She glanced at the board, seeing that had managed to surround her king.

"Very well then." she sighed. "I coincide."

"A wise decision." Hifumi nodded. "Would you like to play another match?"

"Ok. I'm all warmed up now!" she nodded. "I'm sure I'll do better this time."

* * *

"Flash Bomb!"

"Silver Infinity Sword!"

"Atomic Flare!"

"Dark Inferno Rock!"

"FIST OF JUSTICE!"

"ULTIMATE EXCALIBUR ATTACK!"

Back and forth they went, capturing each other's pieces.

She was doing significantly better this time, but in the end, it was still not enough.

"Another victory for the Togo Kingdom." Hifumi smiled. "But you were quite the formidable opponent."

"Thank you… but we got a little carried away in the end, didn't we?" she admitted.

"Maybe a little." Hifumi agreed.

"What on Earth did I just witness…?"

Both girls turned towards Yusuke, before giggling at his dumbfounded expression.

"Thank you for playing a few matches with me." Hifumi said.

"I feel like I should be thanking you." she confessed. "For helping me take my mind off of Ren…"

"It must be difficult." Hifumi sympathized.

"Yeah…"

A silence fell over the two as they began to play another match.

"... You know, I've considered Ren to be like the King." Hifumi brought up as she moved said piece.

"Hm?"

"The king is the most important piece of all, and decently versatile." Hifumi clarified. "But it needs the support of all the other pieces to succeed."

"I suppose it makes sense when you put it like that." she nodded.

"You know… Ren-kun told me that he was rather fond of the Queen. Great at offense, defense, and supporting the others… and that they're truly amazing on the battlefield, but elegant at the same time."

"E-Elegant…" she stammered, her face beginning to flush. "W-We're talking about the chess piece, right?"

"Are we?" Hifumi asked, a small smirk on her face. "Oh, and… check."

"H-Hey! You distracted me!" she stammered.

"All's fair in love and war." Hifumi stated. "And you did say that you were warmed up, didn't you?"

"Warmed up indeed." Yusuke noted. "Her face is bright red."

"Y-Yusuke!"

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to Hifumi, the two Thieves headed towards the station.

"Is there anyone else that you'll be seeing today?" Yusuke asked.

"I was planning on meeting someone at a Bar in Shinjuku." she told him.

"Ah, Shinjuku. I haven't put posters there yet." Yusuke said. "I would accompany you, except that I'm afraid that I lack the funds for the train ride."

"... Yusuke, have you been having money problems again?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"I confess, I find myself a tad short of yen as of late.

"Have you at least been eating properly?" she sighed.

"I have." he said. "But I've had to take the train to go around putting up these posters. I didn't want to have Futaba have to do that by herself.

"Yusuke…" she said, feeling much more sympathetic. "Tell me or one of the others next time, ok? I appreciate the work that you're doing, but I don't want you using all your money to do this, and neither would Ren."

"I suppose you're right." Yusuke agreed. "So, perhaps you could…"

"Yes, Yusuke, I'll pay for your train fair." she said. "But Yusuke, you're going to be headed to university in just two years, and then you'll enter the real world. So you and I are going to be having a serious discussion about financial responsibility. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, Queen, of course." Yusuke quickly said.

"Good." she smiled. "Then let's wait for the train, then."

* * *

After a very long train ride, where a very long lecture about budgeting tips and financial responsibility took place, they arrived in Shinjuku.

"It was a good thing that you brought extra paper so that you could take notes, Yusuke." she smiled approvingly.

"They were supposed to be for sketches." Yusuke sighed.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll find the bar to be very aesthetically pleasing." she brought up, remembering the interior of Crossroads.

"Oh?" Yusuke gasped, suddenly perking up. "Then there's no time to waste!"

They quickly made their way to the bar, thankfully avoiding any… unsavory club hosts.

Yusuke immediately looked around, taking in the atmosphere of the bar

"A good girl like you shouldn't be hanging around here."

"O-Oh!" she gasped, turning towards the source of the voice. "Lala-chan, was it? I'm sorry, I was supposed to meet someone by the name of Ohya Ichiko, and they insisted we meet here."

"Of course she did." Lala sighed.

"Hey, Lala-chan! Someone calling my name?"

She glanced around, seeing one other person in the bar.

"Um… hello there." she greeted. "I'm Makoto, and this is Yusuke. We came here to speak to you about Ren."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so!" Ohya beamed. "Any friend of his is a friend of mine!"

She quickly turned towards Lala, an excited grin on her face.

"Lala-chan! Let's have another round of drinks for me and my new friends!"

"Oh no, we're not old enough to drink!" she said.

"Aw, come one, live a little!" Ohya chuckled.

"Are you trying to get my business shut down?" Lala grumbled. "I'm not serving alcohol to high schoolers."

"Bah, you're no fun." Ohya scoffed. "But anyway, what exactly did you come to discuss?"

"We were wondering if you would be willing to write a short message to Ren." she requested. "Then, we can have it delivered to him in jail."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Ohya grinned. "And you caught me at the great time actually."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

"I was actually planning on writing an article about him." Ohya said. "So I'm going to be talking to people from here and his hometown soon."

"You're going to his hometown?" she asked.

"I am." Ohya responded. "I was also hoping to find the woman that testified against him in the first place."

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "If we can get here to recant her testimony, and say that Shido pressured her to lie, that would be great for Ren's case!"

"And Shido would no doubt confirm her testimony, as his heart was stolen." Yusuke added.

"Well, if anyone would know what he's like, it would be you two." Ohya said. "So tell me about him."

She smiled, eager to talk about all the things she admired about him.

"He's very intelligent, shrewd, he cares a lot about his health and fitness, not to mention that he's got a strong sense of justice." she beamed. "He's got incredible leadership skills, and he's so kind and understanding, as well as-"

"Ok, ok, I gotcha." Ohya laughed. "Sounds like you two think really highly of him."

"He's helped the two of us considerably when we were in trouble." Yusuke mentioned.

"You guys too huh?" Ohya said. "Yeah, he helped me out too when I was in a bind. Even managed to dig up some dirt on Shido."

"I remember Ren mentioning something about that." she noted. "That information you and your partner provided was instrumental in connecting Shido to the mental shutdowns."

"Glad to hear it!" Ohya grinned. "I've been hoping to get back into political journalism anyway."

She scribbled down a small message, handing it back to her.

"And… done!" Ohya said, handing the message to her. "So, have the two of you written letters for him yet?"

"Yes, I already have." Yusuke stated.

"I… um…"

A sense of dread filled her, realizing that she still hadn't made any progress…

"Excuse me."

She got up and sat down at the counter, responding to the bartender's call.

"Did you need anything?" she asked.

"I couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about." Lala told her. "I'd like to write a letter to him too, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course!"

She handed her a pencil and a piece of paper.

"So, I take it that you haven't finished your letter yet?" Lala asked.

"H-How did you…?"

"It's written all over your face, dear." Lala claimed. "Now, what's the problem?"

"It's… complicated."

Lala shook her head.

"A lot of people come here with problems that they say are complicated." Lala said. "Most of the time, they're actually really simple, but they're just making it more complicated for themselves."

She did have a tendency to do that…

She glanced over at Yusuke and Ohya, who seemed to be in a deep conversation about art and how it related to camerawork.

"Well… I'm just not sure what to say." she whispered.

"It sounds like you had plenty to say about him when Ohya asked."

"Well… is that enough?" she asked.

"Listen up, dear." Lala demanded. "I'm sure that that boy would love anything that came from you. So for starters, you could just tell him what you just said."

"I suppose…"

"I remember when he was working here-"

"H-He wasn't handling alcohol, was he?"

"Of course not. Just water and tea." Lala told her. "Speaking of which…"

Lala placed a small cup of tea in front of her.

"It's on the house."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Lala insisted. "You looked tense."

"Thank you…" she whispered, taking a sip.

"Anyway, as I was saying, he was talking a lot of shifts lately, so I asked him why that was, and he told me that he that he wanted to take his girlfriend on a nice date. Had the largest smile on his face when he said it too."

"O-Oh…"

"So like I said, I'm sure that he'd love anything you sent him." Lala said. "And here's the message I wrote for him. Now go finish yours, ok?"

"Right." she nodded. "Thank you."

She called Yusuke over, and after saying their goodbyes, they left the bar.

* * *

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.

And personally meeting all of the people that Ren had helped in the past had certainly made her appreciate his kind-hearted nature even more.

So for all of this to happen to him...

"Is something wrong?" Yusuke asked.

"It's nice that we're gathering these letters, but I'm worried that they won't be enough." she lamented. "He'll be all alone for a long time, not able to see any of us. I just wish we were able to visit him…"

She glanced at Yusuke, who appeared to be pondering her words.

"I might have an idea." he responded.

"What is it?"

"I could paint your picture." Yusuke offered.

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Fully clothed, of course." Yusuke quickly amended. "Even if we can't visit him, that might be the next best thing."

She considered his offer. While having a picture painted of her made her a little uncomfortable, she knew it wasn't just her feelings she had to consider.

"I… yes." she agreed. "I think Ren would like that."

"Excellent." Yusuke nodded, happy to put his skills to use once again. "Then let's head to my dorm so that we can begin."

* * *

They got to work right away.

She sat on the chair, making sure her ring was clearly visible, hoping it would help express how she felt.

"So… I just sit like this?" she asked, feeling more than a little nervous.

"Good, now try to relax." Yusuke urged. "Try to pretend I'm not here, if it helps."

Try as she might, however, it was hard for remain still.

She bit her lip as she heard Yusuke sigh.

"Sorry." she muttered.

"It's quite alright." Yusuke assured her.

"Maybe I'm not really meant for this." she admitted. "Should we stop?"

"... Let's try another approach first." Yusuke suggested.

"Another approach?"

"I want you to imagine how Ren makes you feel." Yusuke said.

She nodded.

"How Ren makes me feel…" she mused.

She imagined holding his hand as they walked on the beach.

Clinging to him for safety during a violent thunderstorm.

Cuddling together as they drifted to sleep.

Sipping coffee and stealing kisses as they studied together.

Studying together… not just what was in books, but romance, and love, and everything out there in the real world, expanding their horizons together.

Yes… being a muse was just another new experience for her. One that she was sure that Ren would love to see. And thinking about his reaction made her happy as well.

Her nervousness slowly faded away, replaced by a feeling of total bliss.

"Exquisite…" Yusuke whispered, noting the look on her face as she thought about Ren as he began to work.

* * *

It had taken a considerable amount of time, but Yusuke finally finished the painted.

"How's it look?" she asked.

"See for yourself."

She nearly gasped when she saw the finished piece.

Perhaps it could simply be chalked up to Yusuke's skills, but the woman in the painting… she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

And the look in that woman's crimson gaze… so gentle, yet filled with affection and happiness.

Was that really her? The painting seemed far too pretty, and yet, looking over it more assured her that it was unmistakably her in the painting.

"Rest assured, that is you." Yusuke said, as if reading her mind.

"It's a little bizarre, seeing myself like this." she said, before her mouth curled into a smile. "I really like it though… and I'm sure Ren will too."

"It reminds me of the Sayuri." Yusuke commented.

"In what way?" she asked.

"The gentle look of affection for the one she loves." Yusuke answered.

"W-Well, there's a bit of a difference between romantic love and parental love." she pointed out.

"Of course." Yusuke nodded. "Parental love is move like… helping your child come out of their shell, or study for their exams… or making sure that they're financially responsible."

"Was that a joke, Yusuke?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"I will not confirm or deny anything." the artist chuckled.

After he said that, however, a conflicted look crossed his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Do you not like it?"

"It's just… since we cannot see the object of your affection, perhaps it ought to be compared to the unfinished version of the Sayuri." Yusuke frowned.

"The unfinished version… the one Madarame had made." she mused. "I see…"

"But you didn't make this for selfish reasons or to trick people, Yusuke." she pointed out. "We made this so that we could hopefully put Ren's mind at ease."

"Of course… you're right." Yusuke agreed, smiling again. "And perhaps, when he is freed, I could make… a finished version, with both of you in it. Would that be acceptable?"

"That... doesn't sound too bad at all, Yusuke." she confessed.

* * *

Taking the portrait and Yusuke's message to Ren with her, she headed home, finally managing to make some progress on her own message to Ren before turning in for the night.


	6. Lovers, Death, and Fortune

Their winter break had finished, so it was back to school for them.

And with school came gossip, most of it centering around Ren…

Some of it, at least, was supportive of him, but there was still plenty of nasty rumors going around.

And they stung more than usual…

It was hard for her to pay attention in class or work on homework, which resulted in her getting scolded by her teachers multiple times.

She felt like a robot, simply going through the motions.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang, so she grabbed her things and walked out, having two more people that she needed to visit today.

"Hey, Makoto, wait up!"

Glancing behind her, she saw Ann running to catch up to her.

"Did you need something, Ann?"

"Well, to be honest… I was kinda worried about you." Ann admitted.

"Worried about me?" she repeated.

"You've just seen really distant lately." Ann said. "I know that you probably have a lot on your mind, but I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing as well as I can, all things considered."

Ann nodded, giving a sympathetic smile. "I gotcha. Say, I was going to go shopping for some clothes later. You want to come?"

"Sorry, but I was going to meet up with some of Ren's confidants today." she excused.

"Oh, really?" Ann asked. "Weeeeell… maybe I could come with?"

"What about your shopping?" she asked.

"It can wait!" Ann claimed. "This is a lot more important, right?"

"Yeah… thanks, Ann." she said, managing a small grin.

* * *

"Ok… first, we're going to visit a doctor Ren saw."

"That's where you two got all of the medicine for the team, right?" Ann wondered.

"Yeah, that's right." she nodded.

As the two girls approached the clinic, however, they saw a man in a brown coat walk out. Thinking nothing of it, they walked inside, seeing the doctor idly reading a magazine at the front counter.

"Um, excuse me.

"Oh, it's you again." the doctor said, looking up from her magazine. "Do you have a cold or something?"

When she had first come here to pick up supplies, she remembered that she had felt a little nervous about the atmosphere this place gave, not to mention how surprised she was at the punk rock vibe the doctor gave off…

As soon as she mentioned the 'guinea pig' however, the doctor immediately warmed up to her, much to her relief.

"Hey, you still there?"

"O-Oh!" she gasped. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"We wanted to talk to you about Ren." Ann said, walking up to the counter.

"Oh really." she said, an amused smile on her lips. "I was just talking about him before you got here."

"You were?"

The doctor nodded. "I was talking to the physician of a former patient of mine. Because of my little guinea pig, I was able to develop a medicine that could help her."

"For real?!" Ann exclaimed. "That's awesome. But how did he help you?"

"He performed tests for me. It all started when he came here with some silly excuse about how he needed some of my 'rumored medicine' to help him on his exams." the doctor laughed.

"W-Wait, there's medicine that can help with exams?!" Ann exclaimed. "Um… can I…"

"No."

"O-Oh, ok." Ann muttered.

"If you've got time to ask for something like that, you've got time to be studying." she pointed out.

"I know, I know…" Ann groaned.

"Anyway, I was going to bring up his involvement at the next conference I go to." the doctor mentioned. "I want to do anything I can to help prove his innocence."

"So do we!" Ann grinned. "And we actually had another way that you could help! Right, Makoto?"

"W-Well, I don't know if it'll help prove him innocent, but I would really appreciate it if you would write him a small letter." she requested. "I think it might help his mental health, knowing that we're all supporting him."

"A letter, huh…" Takemi trailed off. "I'll do it, but it'll cost you."

"H-How much?" she stammered, already bringing out her wallet.

"Relax. I'm only joking." the doctor smirked. "You're right, he could definitely use some more support right now."

She quickly scribbled down a message before handing it to her.

"Um… your handwriting is very… unique." she finally said.

"Don't worry, he's used to my chicken scratch." Tae responded. "And believe it or not, my handwriting isn't that bad compared to most other doctors. It's only resulted in five medical errors."

"W-What?!"

"Another joke." the doctor coolly said.

"O-Oh, of course." she whispered.

"Was there anything else that you needed?" Tae asked.

"Weeeeell…" Ann trailed off.

"I said no." Tae said, her eyes narrowed.

"Ok, ok…" Ann sighed in defeat. "Let's get going, Makoto."

As she moved to follow her, however…

"Hold on one second."

Turning around, she saw the doctor beckoning her over.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm glad that you're doing something like this." the doctor told her. "You were there after his interrogation as well."

She shuddered just thinking about it. About how the police had brutally beaten him before forcibly drugging him, and how he had narrowly escaped with his life.

"You were there too." she recalled. "Thank you for helping patch up his wounds."

"It's no problem." Takemi responded. "But mental health is just as important as physical, so it's good that you're doing something to help him. That being said…"

She watched as the doctor looked her over, as if to examine her.

"You need to take care of yourself too." Takemi said. "You don't look very well."

"I… haven't been sleeping as well as I should." she admitted. "I can't stop worrying…"

"He'll be fine. If he can handle my medicine, he can handle anything." Takemi joked, attempted to lighten the mood.

"I hope so…" she whispered. "I really hope so…"

She said goodbye before heading out, meeting up with Ann outside.

"Can't believe she wouldn't give me that medicine. You'll have to give help me study, Makoto."

"Sure thing." she agreed. "I'd be happy to help."

* * *

"Say, come to think of it… hey, Makoto, did she ever prescribe you pills that had to do with studying?" Ann asked

"In… a manner of speaking, yes." she whispered.

Of course, the type of studying Ann was talking about and the type of studying _she _was talking about were probably very different.

"So, was there anyone else that you wanted to see?" Ann asked.

"Just one more person." she said. "A fortune teller in Shinjuku."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Ann beamed. "Let's get this done, and then we can go shopping!

"Speaking of fashion, I was wondering if I'd be able to pull off a look like Takemi-san." she said.

"You mean like a punk rock look?" Ann asked, before her eyes suddenly rising. "You know, I can totally see that actually! Hehehe… now I'm imagining you and Ren dressed in all black and red, killing it on the dance floor!"

"T-That's a bit much, don't you think?" she stammered.

* * *

The two girls eventually made their way to Shinjuku.

"So, what are we looking for?" Ann asked.

"I should be just a small stall, I believe." she answered. "So I guess…"

"He's the one who saved us, so now it's our turn to save him!"

Turing in the direction of the voice, they saw a small crowd gathering around a woman at a small booth.

"Looks like we've found it." Ann whispered.

She nodded, listening to what she had to say.

"But my words alone won't reach him!" the woman continued. "That's why I need everyone's help! So please, won't you protest the police with me?!"

They patiently waited as the woman continued her speech, before she finally finished, walking up to her as the crowd began to disperse.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Ah! It's you again!" Chihaya yelled. "The girl with the scary red eyes!"

Oh, right, they had met before. But wait!

"H-Hold on, my eyes aren't scary!" she denied. "Right, Ann?"

"W-Well, you see…" Ann trailed off, looking rather nervous. "It's just… sometimes, when you glare, you, um…"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Nevermind then. Anyway, we wanted to ask you something."

"I-I promise, nothin' illegal's happening or has ever happened here!" Chihaya said, a little too quickly."

"Um… ok?" she responded. "Well, we heard your speech. About protesting the police."

"O-Oh, is that s-so?" Chihaya stammered, her face beginning to pale. "W-Well, I wasn't talking about any of the people in your family, that's for sure!"

"How do you know Makoto had family in law enforcement?" Ann wondered.

"Well, I am a fortune teller!" Chihaya beamed. "I also predicted that once she hardened her resolve, she would find true love!"

"T-That's-"

Ann couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate!" she laughed.

"Yes, well, in any case…" she trailed off, trying not to blush from embarrassment.  
"I wanted to ask you for your help… regarding Ren."

"W-What?! That's it?!" Chihaya yelled. "Well why in tarnation didn't y'all mention that in the first place?! I've been sweatin' through ma dang headband cause of you!"

"W-What's with her voice?!" Ann exclaimed.

Chihaya glanced at the two of them for a few seconds before realizing what Ann meant, quickly looking away with a bashful look on her face.

"My accents slippin' cause of you…" Chihaya whimpered.

"It's ok, really!" she insisted. "I don't mind. I just wanted to know if you'd be willing to write a small message to him."

"Sure, I can do that." Chihaya agreed. "I'll help out your little boyfriend."

"Wow, you really are good if you know they're dating!" Ann gasped. "Maybe you could look up if Ren will be released anytime soon."

"M-Maybe we shouldn't do that…" Makoto argued. "We should just keep doing what we're doing…"

She wasn't sure about this whole fortune telling business, but it was clear that Ren placed a lot of faith in her abilities. So, if they did have her tell the fortune, and it turned out that it didn't look good for him, then…

"I haven't actually checked." Chihaya admitted. "I've been afraid of what it might be."

"I can understand that." she whispered.

"W-Well, even if the fortune does turn out to be bad, I'm sure that we can change it, right?"

Could they?

"That's true." Chihaya nodded. "Something that he taught me was that fate can always be changed. So just keep at it, ok?

"Yeah…"

She nodded, taking the fortune teller's finished message with her before saying goodbye.

* * *

"We need to talk."

She glanced over at Ann, who suddenly had a concerned look on her face.

"Is… everything ok?" she asked. "I thought that we were going shopping."

"Oh, well, I was just hoping that you'd help me study a bit first." Ann quickly said. "That's all."

"Oh, of course." she responded. "What were you having trouble with?"

"Well, actually… I was wondering if maybe you could show me what you've been doing so far. So maybe I could, like, have a head start on what I'll be learning next year. I'm sure that you have some homework that you could walk me through, right?"

It seemed like an odd request, but she could see where she was coming from.

"Well, all right." she agreed.

"Cool, cool." Ann nodded. "Let's get going, then!"

The two girls headed to a small cafe near the clothing store Ann wanted to go to, where she carefully worked through her homework while talking Ann through it, occasionally taking sips of the coffee she ordered.

While not Leblanc quality, it was still perfectly fine.

"Hey, you don't think people will mind if we stay here so long when we only ordered coffee, do you?" Ann asked.

"Ren told me he used to do that all the time." she recalled.

"Haha, yeah, that sounds like something he'd do." Ann laughed.

"Thankfully, I've just finished everything." she smiled. "So, did you learn anything?"

"Oh, yeah, I learned tons. And… it looks like you've finished with your work." Ann beamed.

Right… she hadn't been studying as much as she should have been, nor had she been doing her homework.

Wait...

"Ann…" she gasped. "Did you…?"

"I was worried, you know?" Ann confessed. "You haven't been yourself these past few days. You've been late to class, and completely keeping to yourself. Your grades will slip, you know? So… I was hoping to help you out a bit."

"I… I don't know what to say." she murmured.

"Well… why don't you start by telling me what's wrong?" Ann asked.

"I just feel so powerless." she admitted. "Like there's more that I could be doing. And I'm also worried that even if we do free him… that he won't be the same. That he'll be broken beyond repair. T-That… he won't… love me anymore."

She desperately fought back tears as she confided all of her fears to Ann.

"Listen Makoto." Ann said. "Ren's strong. And we're strong too. We made it through that interrogation, Shido, and even against that crazy God. We'll make it through this as well."

"Even still…"

"You're his rock, Makoto." Ann told her. "As strong as Ren is, he still needs someone to lean on from time to time. And that's you. He trusts you more than anyone else. He even spent all of Christmas Eve with you. Even when he knew he had to turn himself in, he wanted to make you happy. If that's not love, I don't know what is."

"Ann…"

"And he would never hide anything from you." Ann continued. "He told you what he was going to do. He didn't tell the rest of us."

"Oh…" she whispered. "I-I'm sorry. This must be hard on you as well."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not jealous or anything." Ann assured her. "I know that you and Ren share a really close bond. He's always tries to be strong for the rest of us, but even he has his moments of weakness. But he cares and trusts you enough to feel vulnerable about you."

She remembered when he had just come back from the interrogation, and how he had looked so weak, so fragile.

But she had helped him heal, and together, they and the rest of the thieves had managed to save the world against all odds.

"How do you feel about him, Makoto?" Ann asked.

"I love him. I love him more than anything." she confessed.

"Aww… that's sweet."

"A-Ann!"

"Ok, ok." Ann giggled. "So just tell Ren how you feel. I think he needs to hear it now more than ever."

"Y-You're right!" she said. "That's exactly what I'll do!"

"And maybe you could talk to Ryuji too?" Ann asked. "The two of you are definitely taking this the hardest."

"Of course." she nodded. "I'll be sure to check up on him. But what about you, Ann? How are you doing?"

"I'm pretty optimistic that we'll get Ren back soon." Ann answered. "So I've been doing ok. And… I was actually thinking of visiting Shiho soon."

"Oh, really?" she asked. "How's she been doing?"

"Really well!" Ann grinned. "It's just… it's been a while, so I'm not really sure what to say."

"You could just tell her how you've been doing." she suggested.

"I guess it really is that simple, huh?" Ann said. "I'll be sure to ask her to do what she can to help out Ren too!"

"Thank you." she said sincerely. "I appreciate it."

"No problem!" Ann beamed. "Now let's go shopping!"

They paid for their coffee, Ann practically dragging her off to the nearby clothing store.

* * *

"Oh, I like this one, Makoto!"

Ann held out a blue jacket and a white sleeveless dress that ended right above the knees.

"I don't know…" she muttered.

"Come on, at least try it on!" Ann urged.

"Well… I suppose I could at least try it." she relented.

She went into the changing booth, putting on the dress before stepping outside…

Only to nearly go deaf from the sound of Ann squealing.

"Oh. My. God!" Ann screamed. "You look great!"

"You think so?"

"Definity." Ann nodded. "You should totally do a shoot with me sometime!"

"N-Now you're just flattering me." she stammered.

"No, no, I'm serious!" Ann insisted. "And, well, I'm sure that _Ren _will like it."

"Y-You think so?" she stuttered. "Well… I suppose it does look rather nice."

After a little more prodding from Ann, she eventually caved, getting the dress and taking Ann's finished letter to Ren before returning home for the day.

Feeling much more optimistic, she managed to get the rest of her homework done, as well as get some studying done.

And finally, she finished her own letter, feeling satisfied with the result.

Hopefully, Ren would like it as well.


	7. Chariot, Moon, and Temperance

Things were looking up. Or, at least, she thought they were. Her sister was going to be seeing Ren again soon. So today, she would talk to his last few confidants.

Who, conveniently enough, were all located at Shujin.

She went through her classes with no problems this time, waiting for lunch so that she could hopefully catch up with Ryuji.

Spotting him by himself in the corner of the cafeteria, she walked over, sitting across from him.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

Ryuji said nothing.

"Sorry." she whispered. "I suppose that was a stupid thing to say."

_Of course _everything wasn't ok.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Ryuji said. "I'm just pissed off! I know you said that this'd take a while, but… it just sucks to wait, knowing that he's all alone in there."

"I know…" she agreed. "I feel powerless myself at times. But we just need to keep at it."

"It just feels weird." Ryuji said. "Like, I'm pissed, sure, but I'm not too worried."

"You're not?" she questioned.

"Of course not!" he grinned. "Ren's got all kinds of awesome people on his side! Like that politician, the journalist, your sister… and you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "I mean, you're the one who's been workin' real hard to meet with all these people Ren knows. And, I mean, you've already saved his life once back durin' the interrogation, yeah?"

"T-Thanks." she whispered. "I'm doing my best."

"I know that we'll free him." Ryuji said, a confidant grin on his face. "But I'm glad that you came up with a way for us to talk to him with these letters."

He handed her his own letter.

"I appreciate it." she smiled. "And I'm sure Ren will too."

Ryuji nodded. "I don't know how hard it'll be for him in solitary, but I know he'll be fine."

"You think so?"

"After everything he's been through? Hell yeah I do!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Dude's got balls of effin' steel!"

"That's… one way of putting it." she responded. "But I think it's also because of all of our support."

"Makes sense." Ryuji said. "He was a lot quieter when he first got here, not to mentio-GAH!"

Someone had cut off Ryuji mid-sentence by covering his eyes with their hands.

"Guess who, Ryuyu!"

"Eiko…" she smiled, shaking her head.

"Aww, why do you have to ruin the surprise, Miss Prez?" Eiko laughed.

She sat down next to them.

"So… what's up?" Eiko asked. "How have you two been doing?"

"Sorry if I've been a little distant lately, Eiko." she apologized, feeling a little guilty.

"We've been busy tryin' to find some way to help get Ren out of jail." Ryuji added.

"No worries, I get it." Eiko nodded. "Actually, is there any way I could help? I'm not as close to him as you two, but…"

"It's alright." she assured her. "Any help is appreciated. Would you be willing to write a short message to him?"

"Of course!" Eiko beamed. "It's the least I can do after you two helped me out."

"I got somethin' too." Ryuji said, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper with tons of names on it.

"Oh, have you been gathering signatures?" Makoto asked.

"It was Mishima's idea." Ryuji told her. "The two of us have been going out gathering signatures for Ren's release. I just… I gotta do something."

Eiko gave him a sympathetic smile before signing the petition, and she quickly followed.

"I'm sure Glasses-kun will be back soon!" Eiko encouraged. "I mean, like, that whole assault charge is total BS, right?"

"Yeah, all he was trying to do was defend some woman from that bastard Shido!" Ryuji yelled.

"Really?!" Eiko gasped. "So it's just like when he was defending you from Tsukasa, Miss Prez!"

"Huh. I suppose you're right." she acknowledged. "He was there to back me up, but if he wasn't there…"

She couldn't help a bright smile from appearing on her face.

"Oh! My! God!" Eiko squealed. "That's so romantic! Even with that assault charge, he still defended you, like a knight in shining armor come to rescue his Queen!"

Eiko gave a dramatic sigh, glancing over at Ryuji.

"If only someone would sweep me off _my feet._" Eiko said.

Ryuji, meanwhile, seemed to be devoting all of his time to devouring his lunch.

"Huh?" he muttered. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing at all…" Eiko muttered.

"Um, Ryuji, could you find Mishima?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Ryuji nodded, getting up.

The moment he left, she heard Eiko let out another huge sigh.

"So… Ryuyu, huh?" she said, giving a knowing smile.

Another sigh.

"We don't mean to ignore you." she sympathized. "We've just been… well, these last few months have been very hectic, to say the least. Ren's arrest… it's hit us all very hard. It's been all we could think about recently."

Between the interrogation, Shido, Yaldabaoth, and now this… none of them really had time to focus on anything else.

"Yeah… yeah, that makes sense." Eiko stated. "This must be like… super hard on both of you. So don't worry if you need some time to yourself, kay? But if you need to talk…"

"Thank you for understanding." she said. "I just wish that things would go back to normal."

"I'm sure they will." Eiko encouraged. "I mean, that Shido guy had a change of heart, right?"

"Yes, he did." she said.

"Did you see the way they delivered the calling card!" Eiko exclaimed. "It was so cool!"

"It was, wasn't it?" she agreed.

"They were all so cool, but I think I liked the one in the skull-looking mask the best." Eiko continued.

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Eiko wondered.

"Oh… it's nothing." she lied.

"Well, like I was saying, I'm sure that Glasses-Kun will be back soon!" Eiko claimed. "If you're lucky, he'll be back by Valentine's! Ooooh, then we can talk about boys, and go shopping for clothes… and… and…"

"Make chocolate together?" she suggested. "I could help you make some for him."

"Ohohoho! An amazing idea, Miss Prez!" Eiko praised. "I'll be looking forward to it! Now, I'm off to somewhere quieter to go finish this message!"

She waved goodbye to Eiko before waiting for Ryuji to bring Mishima over.

"What were the two of you talkin' about?" Ryuji asked.

"Oh, just girl talk." she mentioned.

"Um… you wanted to speak to me, Niijima-san?" Mishima asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about Ren." she said. "I heard that you were collecting signatures for his release."

"Y-Yeah, I was." Mishima admitted. "I know that he's innocent… so I have to help him! He's… my best friend."

"Yeah… I get ya." Ryuji said.

"Thank you for everything that you've been doing." she expressed. "I appreciate it."

"Of course! I'm happy to help." Mihima nodded.

The blue haired boy let of a sigh, a guilty look on his face.

"It's because of me that his record was leaked, after all…" Mishima lamented.

"I'm sure that he doesn't hold that against you." Makoto consoled.

"Still, I want to do anything I can!" Mishima responded.

"Well, you're good with all that techie stuff, right?" Ryuji asked. "So couldn't you just make an online petition or do somethin' with your website?"

"Yeah. I'll see what I can do." Mishima promised.

"And if you don't mind, could you write a small message to Ren?" she asked. "We were going to deliver a bunch of letters to him."

"I'll get right on it!" Mishima said excitedly. "I'll let him know that we're all working really hard to set him free. I'll have it ready for you by the end of the day!"

"Thanks again for all the work you've done for us." she said.

Ryuji grinned. "Yeah, thanks for finding out all those jobs for the Phant-"

*Smack*

She lightly smacked the back of his head before he could finish his sentence, sighing as she did so.

"M-My bad." Ryuji grumbled. "Hey, are we takin' to Kawakami too?"

"Ms. Kawakami." she corrected. "And we'll wait until after school. I wouldn't want to interrupt her class."

Ryuji shrugged. "Guess I'll meet you there then."

The lunch period ended, and she set out to her next class.

* * *

She was out of the class as soon as the final bell rang, eager to catch up with Ms. Kawakami, both Eiko and Mishima having already given her their messages to Ren.

As soon as she got to her room, however, she saw an impatient Ryuji tapping his foot.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Kaw… err, Ms. Kawakami's in a meeting with all of the other teachers." Ryuji told her.

"They're probably in the teacher's lounge." she assumed. "Let's wait from out here then."

The meeting didn't last too long, thankfully. Soon enough, the teachers began filling out of the teacher's lounge one by one, before eventually…

"Ms. Kawakami!" she called.

"Niijima-san?" the teacher said. "And Sakamoto-kun? Did you two need something?"

"We wanted to talk to you about Ren." Makoto asked.

"Huh. Well that's a coincidence." Kawakami said, eyes widening. "I brought him up during our meeting.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I suppose it's fine for me to tell you, since you're his friends." Kawakami mentioned. "I was hoping that the staff would agree to the school objecting to his arrest."

"T-That would be great!" she said. "We would really appreciate it if you did that!"

Kawakami nodded. "Thankfully, most of the teachers seemed to be on board. He hasn't caused any trouble here and he's got the best exam scores in his grade. And… as a teacher, I'd feel horrible if I didn't do everything I could to help him."

"Then would you be willing to write a small message to him?" she asked.

"Yeah, and sign this petition too!" Ryuji added.

"Well, it's good to see that you two are working so hard." Kawakami smiled. "I was a little worried at first."

"Well, with everything that happened, it was hard to adjust to school again." she admitted. "But I'm doing ok at the moment."

"Yeah, I've been struggling a bit too." Ryuji groaned. "My grades might start dropping if this keeps up."

"Is that so…?" Kakakami muttered.

"H-Hey, come on, I'm being serious!" Ryuji protested. "It's not an excuse or anything like that!"

"I wasn't implying that." the teacher sighed. "Just that if you need any extra help, I'd be willing to stay after."

"Oh… well, thanks." Ryuji mumbled. "But it's just… more like I can't concentrate."

"Well, hopefully he'll be back soon then." she said. "And in the meantime, I'd be willing to help you as well."

"Thanks Makoto." he grinned. "And yeah, hopefully he does. Maybe we'll even go fishing again."

"Is Ren good at fishing?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, he's great at fishing!" Ryuji said, giving a massive grin. "... Hell, you could even call him a _master."_

She saw Ms. Kawakami shoot Ryuji a glare so intense it could rival her own.

She sighed at Ryuji's crass remark.

Ren had never directly told her that he had hired Ms. Kawakami as a maid, merely that she was working a second job to help pay the parents of a former student of hers. She assumed that that was simply due to him wanting to protect her privacy, as he had been upfront about the fact that he _had _hired a maid to help make supplies and, occasionally, give him a massage.

She had managed to put two and two, and she was taken aback at first, she was just glad that he wasn't overworking himself, and hopefully took some time to relax.

Still… there was one thing she was curious about...

"Ms. Kawakami…" she whispered. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Um… sure." Kawakami responded. "What did you need to ask?"

Ryuji, at least, had enough tact to give the two of them some privacy.

"Well…" she trailed off. "I was wondering… would you happen to have any tips on giving someone a massage?"

* * *

As embarrassing as it was to ask, at least Ms. Kawakami had humored her request.

… But not before turning pale as a ghost.

Still, this might be someone she'd have to study more on her own time.

After saying goodbye to the teacher and taking her message for Ren, she caught up with Ryuji outside of the school.

"Ryuji?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you were having trouble concentrating, right?" she asked.

"I told you, I'm... I'm just pissed off!" he repeated. "Like there's-"

"More you could be doing?" she finished. "I understand. I was like that to. But there's only so much one person can do. Even Ren can't do everything by himself."

"Heh, I was always there, ready to take the heavy hits for him." Ryuji recalled, letting out a weak chuckle. "Can't really do that now, though."

"Is there anything that you can think of that might help get your mind off of him?" she asked.

He gave it some thought before his face glowed in realization.

"Fight me."

"Excuse me?" she said, not believing what she just heard.

"You're pretty good at that aikido stuff, right?" Ryuji asked. "So spar with me!"

"Ah, that's what you meant." she responded. "Still, are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry, I won't hit super hard." Ryuji grinned.

"Oh really?" she asked, quirked an eyebrow. "It wasn't you I was worried about, but if you insist."

They found an appropriate place to spar, and began their match.

* * *

Roughly five seconds later, Ryuji was on the floor.

"T-that was just the warmup round!" Ryuji insisted. "Let's go again."

So they went again.

And again.

_And again._

He was slowly getting better after she taught him the basics, but with no prior martial art training, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Still, she had to admire his resolve.

"I'm… surprised… you're still… going." she said, panting.

"Told you… I was good at taking hits." he replied.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked after catching her breath.

"Better." he admitted. "Guess I needed to blow off some steam."

"Good. Now go finish your homework."

"Alright, alright, I'll get it done!" he promised. "See ya!"

She said goodbye, taking the final message to Ren from him before heading home.

Exhausted from the sparing, she plopped down into her bed, hoping to quickly fall asleep before she got a text message.

Not wanting to pick up her phone, but figuring it could be serious, she glanced over, the message on her cellphone nearly causing her to drop it in shock.

Just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, she got up, directing her full intention to the short text message and what it said.

Found her.


	8. Finale, Part 1

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He glanced upwards through the glass barrier, noticing her bite her lips and glance away when she saw him.

He must look awful.

"It has…" he finally said.

"I truly am sorry for all of this."

"It's alright, Sae-san." he responded. "I choose to do this."

"Well, in any case, I wanted to thank you for your cooperation in the trial." Sae said. "Your testimony proved invaluable in the case against Shido."

"Are you finally moving to prosecute him?" he asked, a hint of hope in his tone.

"We are." Sae smiled. "We have solid evidence of him committing multiple crimes but proving the existence of the Metaverse will be difficult. Still, I won't be satisfied with anything but a total victory."

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised this is going so smoothly." he admitted.

"At first, it seemed hopeless." the prosecutor responded. "But there have been countless civil protests, and public opinion of Shido has plummeted, so the more indecisive prosecutors came over to our side. Among those rallying against Shido, of course, were every single one of your confidants."

He couldn't help but smile. "Glad to hear it."

"Of course, they're not just rallying behind Shido." Sae pointed out. "They're also rallying behind you."

"R-Really…?"

"Of course." she nodded. "Petitions, interviews, formal complaints… even the Diet has been discussing you." Sae commented. "You really know some incredible people. Don't you think so?"

"Y-Yeah…" he stammered. "Sorry, I just… sending so much time in here is…"

"I understand." Sae nodded. "Have you been during ok?"

"Were you worried about me?" he asked, managing a small smirk

"I… just think it's horrible that they felt sent you to solitary confinement." Sae excused. "But your friends were all very concerned. So much so that they wrote these."

She handed him a large stack of letters.

"T-These are…"

"Your family, your friends, myself, Makoto, and others." she told him. "They were all very concerned about you."

They had all written letters to him… and were fighting so hard to save him.

Not trusting his voice at the moment, he simply nodded before opening the letters one by one, seeing all the message written to him.

Iwai: I'm not the greatest with words, but take my advice. So lay low, and don't worry. I know a few people who will make sure you don't get hurt.

Karou: I know that you're not a bad guy after you helped out me and my dad! I'll do everything I can to help you two!

Toranosuke: I've done what I can to get the Diet to look after your case. Day by day, more members are coming over to our side. I promise that I will continue to fight for your freedom, my friend.

Shinya: I've been telling everyone at the arcade that your innocent! I try my hardest to get you free, and then we can have a rematch, ok?

Sojiro: I've been trying my hardest to defend you when the police questioned me. I may not be much, but I'll do what I can to help you. And when you get back, I promise I'll have some fresh coffee and curry for you.

Hifumi: I've been giving interviews, showing my support for your freedom. Together, we'll come up with a strategy to free you, I promise.

Ohya: I've been going around questioning people you know both here in Tokyo and in your hometown. I'll be on the lookout for leads on the woman who testified against you too!

Lala: I've been talking to my customers about your situation. I want you to know that we support you, so don't worry.

Chihaya: I've been talking about you to some of my customers. We'll do our best to save you, just as you did us.

Takemi: I made sure that your contributions were brought up at a recent medical conference, Guinea Pig. I just hope that I can spread awareness to your case and help set you free.

Mishima: You're my best friend, so I'm going to do my best to help you, and so will everyone else! I've already got tons of signatures for my petition!

Kawakami: I promised myself that I would always stand by my students. I've managed to convince the school to make a formal complaint.

Eiko: Hey there, Glasses-kun! Ms. Prez is doing ok, and she's working really hard to help you, so don't worry about her, ok?

Sae: Rest assured, I will take down Shido and protect Makoto and the others. And I'll do my best to help you as well.

"T-Thanks." he stammered, fighting back tears. "Thank you for this…"

"It was Makoto's idea." Sae admitted. "She was very concerned about how you were doing."

He nodded, rubbing at his eyes.

Digging through the letters, he found some from his parents and friends.

Ren, dear, are you safe? Are you eating well? You're not hurt, are you? Your father and I are so worried. We've been talking to everyone in town for help. I know it must be so hard for you, but stay strong. Your father and I love you and support you 100%.

Haru: I've contacted my some of my father's connections, hoping that they'd be able to help. You were able to help me with my dream, and I want to help you achieve yours!

Futaba: Why didn't you tell me you were turning yourself in?! We could have helped. You're always tanking all the aggro for yourself! Well, this time, I'm gonna promise to help you out!

Yusuke: I managed to make several posters posters, hoping to spread awareness of your case. Had you not helped me overcome my artist's block, this would not be possible. Now, it is time for me and my art to help you.

Ann: Hey, Ren? Are you doing ok? I just want you to know that everyone's doing ok here. We're all doing our best to support you and each other, so just sit tight, ok? You'll be out before you know it!

Ryuji: Is pisses me off that they're arresting you! But I know we'll find a way to get you out of there and stop Shido along with the rest of those bastards who are with him!

Finally, he took out took the final letter…

Dear Ren,

Since the day I met you, my life has drastically changed for the better. I'm stronger, more confident in myself, and I have a clear goal for myself in life. And I have you to thank for that. The things you've taught me, and the experiences we've had are some of my most cherished memories. And I hope that we never stop learning together.

And that's why I'll do everything in my power to help you. So that I can continue to learn with you, to love you, to experience life with you, standing beside you as your equal, and achieve our dreams together. And also… because that's our justice.

No matter if it takes months, years, or decades, I want you to remember that you will always have my love and support, and everyone else's as well. I promised you that I would help clear your name, and I intend to honor that promise.

Your study partner,

Makoto

His tears were freely flowing now. Glancing inside the envelope, he saw a picture of her. Smiling through his tears, he took in every detail of her, as it had been so long since he had last seen her…

"I'm sorry I took so long to get these to you." Sae apologized.

"I-It's alright." he choked out. "I… I really needed this."

"Your confidants have all been working incredibly hard." Sae acknowledged. "So much so, that I have another piece of good news."

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"As of today, you're free to go." the prosecutor smiled.

He eyes widened, staring at her in disbelief.

"W-What?"

"It's amazing what they were able to accomplish." Sae continued. "It's been a year since your assault case, but they still managed to locate the woman that you protected. She recanted her testimony against you, and that, alongside Shido admitting to framing you, was enough to clear you of all charges.

He was completely speechless, only able to give a massive grin in response.

"It's… a good sign." he said. "Of what people can accomplish, even without a group like the Phantom Thieves."

"It truly is." Sae agreed. "And… I wanted to thank you and Makoto once again. For helping me rediscover my justice."

"I feel like I should be thanking you." he finally said. "You keep helping me out of these situations. And you've been helping out a lot with the Shido case too."

She nodded. "I've been doing some thinking recently."

"About what?"

"After this case, I'm going to become a defense attorney." she told him.

His eyes widened at what she had said. Before choosing to enter politics, he had considered becoming a defense attorney, so he was very much aware of the hardships of such an occupation.

"Why the change?" he asked.

"I want to be better… I need to be better, actually." she corrected. "For myself and for Makoto."

"Sae-san…"

"Our county… has an incredibly high conviction rate." she pointed out. "And on paper, that might seem like a good thing, but… when you look beneath the surface, you see so many cases like yours. Forced confessions, brutal interrogation, drugging and brutality, and corruption. I'm… disgusted by the actions of the police and prosecutors in this case. Even the SIU director, my own boss…"

"I understand." he said. "But that's why we need to keep fighting for change."

"Of course." she nodded. "Saving your future, and the future of other victims like you… that means more to me than my career. It makes me feel happy. Happier than I've felt in a long time. And besides… I'm sure that if anyone could help reform this system, it's you."

"Thank you, Sae-san."

"You're very welcome. Now, let's get you out of here. You wouldn't want to keep your friends waiting, would you?"

He grinned, waiting for her to hand in the paperwork for his release before getting up and taking the path out of the jail.

When he stepped outside, the sun felt brighter, and the breeze felt more refreshing, not even the suspicious looks and glares of the police officers as they escorted him out could ruin his mood.

Hearing a car horn, he turned to see a car pulling up to him and out front rolling down its window, revealing a smiling Sojiro inside.

"Kept me waiting, didn't you?" Sojiro chuckled.

"Did you miss me?" he smirked.

"Nah, I didn't want to come, but Futaba just wouldn't stop bugging me." the older man joked.

He eagerly hoped inside, hoping to get back to his friends as soon as possible.

* * *

All of their hard work had finally paid off.

Ren was coming home.

She was happy, of course, but she still couldn't help but feel a little anxious. She could only hope that he'd turn out ok.

She sighed, taking a sip of her coffee.

While this particular variant wasn't her favorite, it was still enjoyable.

Trying to distract herself from her thoughts, she glanced over at Yusuke, seated at his usual spot at the counter. He appeared to be glancing at a flyer.

"What is that, Yusuke?" she asked.

"It's a flyer for an art exhibit that just opened up." Yusuke informed her.

"Oh, yes, I heard about that." she said. "Were you planning on going there?"

"Indeed." Yusuke nodded. "Futaba asked me if we, and that she had a gift for me."

"Oh? She asked you out on a date?" she smiled, whispering.

"A date?" Yusuke repeated. "Why would it be a date?"

"Yusuke… tomorrow's Valentine's Day." she pointed out.

Yusuke mulled over her words for a few moments before his expression changed to one of shock.

"Oh!" he gasped. "I see…"

Looking closely, she saw the faintest of smiles on his lips.

She sat down next to Futaba.

"Urrgh! Why are they taking so long?!" Futaba cried out in frustration.

"I'm sure they just got caught up in traffic or something." she responded.

Futaba simply sighed.

"So…" she trailed off, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "An art gallery, huh?"

"H-Huh?!" Futaba stammered. "W-What are you talking about?"

"Did you finish making your chocolate?" she asked.

Futaba just groaned.

She took another sip of her coffee, seeing the others in their own conversations.

Conversations that immediately stopped when they heard the door open.

There he was…

Ren was right there.

He looked a little pale, and he seemed to have lost a few pounds, but he was there.

Immediately, everyone got up, rushing over to him.

Futaba beat them all to the punch, tackling him into a hug.

"Y-You big jerk!" Futaba yelled, a few tears starting to fall. "Why did you just do something like that without telling us!"

"I'm sorry." Ren muttered, frowning before returning her hug. "I'm sorry, Futaba. And to all of you guys."

"No worries, man." Ryuji grinned, clapping him on the back.

"Yeah! We're just glad that you're free!" Ann agreed.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt like last time." Haru beamed.

"It's good to see you again." Yusuke greeted.

Ren gave a small smile, before looking down at Futaba. "Sorry…"

"I-It's ok." Futaba sobbed. "Just… don't ever do something like that again. If you do… I'll… I'll… I'll have Makoto beat you up!"

She gave a small laugh before noticing that he was looking right at her.

The others quickly cleared the way between the two.

"Makoto, I…" Ren trailed off.

There was a certain hesitation in how he spoke, as if he was afraid he had betrayed her.

A small part of her had been afraid that he wouldn't love her anymore, but... she realized that it must have been so much worse for him, being locked in a cell, away from any kind of human interaction.

So, she fought back her nerves and cupped the sides of his face, an adoring smile on her face.

That was all the encouragement he needed.

He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a gentle kiss.

She could hear the other Thieves cheer and laugh, but she didn't mind.

All that mattered was that Ren was home safe.

He broke the kiss, smiling at her before licking his lips a bit.

"Sumatra Mandheling?" he asked.

"Very good." she smiled. "Here's your reward…"

Another soft kiss.

"I saw the letters…" he said as they broke apart. "Saw everything you and the others did for me…"

"I told you that I would help clear your name." she beamed.

"I love you." he expressed, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I love you too." she whispered, gently moving her hand through his curly black hair. "More than anything else…"

They stayed like that for a few moments longer.

"Now that I have you back, I'll never let you go." she whispered.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Makoto."

* * *

Eventually, they were all seated, Ren eating a large portion of curry while Sojiro went out for groceries.

He wasted no time wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him as he listened to her and the rest of the thieves speak.

"I'm glad that we were able to see this through to the end." she said.

"I agree." Yusuke nodded. "It was well worth the effort."

"At first we were at a total loss about what to do." Ann recalled. "But then we realized that even without our powers, we could still make a difference."

"That's why I wanted to enter politics." Ren added. "So that I can make a difference."

"I don't get it. Ain't a bunch of politicians total assholes like Shido." Ryuji said.

"Because they chose to be." he countered. "Just like I can choose to be better."

"Guess that makes sense." Ryuji grinned. "And I gotta admit, it felt pretty good havin' all our hard work pay off like this."

"And not just our hard work, but everyone who believes in you!" Haru said.

"And now our leader's back!" Futaba cheered.

"Thanks for everything you guys did." Ren said. "I couldn't ask for better friends."

"We know that you'd do the same for us." Ryuji said.

"They didn't treat you too badly in jail, did they?" Ann hesitantly asked. "You… look like you lost a little weight."

"The food wasn't exactly great, but it was edible." he said. "The worst part was just… being locked up in a cell all alone, day in and day out, all alone.

"Like a tomb…" Futaba whispered, her and the other thieves shooting him looks of sympathy.

Slowly, as not to startle him, she took his hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

He definitely appreciated that, as he gave her a peck on the cheek as soon as she did that.

That seemed to lighten the mood of the other thieves, as she heard plenty of giggling around her rapidly reddening face.

Ren was… quite affectionate today, not that she minded, nor could she blame him.

"Well, don't worry!" Ryuji said. "Once Boss gets back we'll hold a huge party to celebrate the whole gang being together again!"

Immediately, Ren's face fell, as did most of the others, and it was easy to understand why.

"Morgana…" Ren whispered.

"Right…" Ryuji muttered. "Shit, I… sorry, man, I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok." Ren cut him off. "It's ok."

"Mona-chan… I'm sure he would have never given up on us." Haru whispered.

"He was there from the very beginning, helping us..." Ann recalled.

"He was essential to defeating our greatest foes." Yusuke nodded glumly.

"We need to believe that he'll make his way back to us." she whispered, squeezing her boyfriend's hand again.

"I just wish he were here with us right now." Futaba mumbled.

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned towards the door, the bell up top ringing out.

They assumed that it was simply Sojiro returning, but instead…

"Isn't it a little late to be holding a big celebration?"

It was Morgana.


	9. Finale, Part 2

"MONA?!"

The black cat leaped up onto a stool, seemingly amused by everyone's shocked gazes.

"H-How are you here?!" Ann gasped. "Didn't you disappear?!"

"I guess that only the Metaverse version of me disappeared." Morgana explained.

The others still seemed to be rather confused.

"So… you stayed here in reality as a cat?" she asked. "How did that happen.

"All I know is that I woke up in Shibuya looking like this." Morgana answered.

"So you were around the entire time?" Ren asked.

"Then why didn't you come back to us sooner?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Well, I did just say goodbye…" Morgana trailed off. "It would have been awkward."

"Well, I suppose that was tactful, at least." Yusuke mentioned.

"Tactful? Mona? Woah, that's some serious character development!" Futaba said.

"I figured that I'd wait until you guys saved Ren. Good job on that by the way." Morgana praised. "Not that I'd expect anything less from the group _I _personally trained!"

"Tch, well ain't you proud of yourself?" Ryuji grumbled.

"You really should have said something." she sighed.

"Hey now, before you all start hugging me, can I take a bath first?" Morgana asked. "I might smell a little from being a stray for a bit."

"This isn't the time for a bath, you jerk!"

"He hasn't changed at all…"

"Bad kitty!"

"Give us our tears back!"

The others were growing increasingly annoyed by Morgan's antics.

Ren, however, simply laughed, patting his lap.

Morgana jumped over, purring softly as Ren scratched behind his ears.

"Glad to have you back, Morgana." Ren said, a bright smile on his face.

Ren's good mood quickly spread to the others, their expressions softening.

"I suppose all's well that ends well." she smiled.

"Yeah. I'm glad that things are finally back to normal." Ann agreed.

"I ain't complainin' or anything, but I'm still kinda confused on how you got back?" Ryuji commented.

"Well, this is just a guess, but… I think it was because you guys all kept me in your mind." Morgana assumed.

"I never doubted that you'd come back to us." she beamed.

"I guess you all thought that there was a place for me in the real world." Morgana smiled.

"Your place is here, with the rest of us." Ren said.

"That's right!" Haru giggled.

"But… I just realized something." Ryuji mumbled. "You're heading back next month, right?"

"Yeah…" Ren responded. "I will be."

"We cleared your name, but people back there will undoubtedly continue to judge you." Yusuke sighed.

"Do you really have to go…?" Ann asked.

"I have to." Ren nodded sadly. "I… want to spend some time with my parents."

The others nodded in understanding.

"But after I finish high school, I plan on returning here." he continued.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"That's great!" Ann beamed.

"I'll be sure to find the time to visit you guys."

"After everything we've been through, I don't think anything could drive us apart." Haru said.

"Well, I've been thinking…" Morgana trailed off. "I think I want to head back with Ren. I might even be able to figure out how to become human if I hang out around him!"

"You're still thinking about that?" Yusuke wondered.

"Of course I am!" Morgana said. "And besides, someone needs to make sure this guy doesn't change into some delinquent!"

She gave a soft giggle. "We'll be counting on you to keep an eye on him, Morgana."

"Glad to have you along, Morgana." Ren told Morgana "I'm sure my parents won't mind you staying."

"For now, though, let's try to make the most of the time we have left." she suggested.

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji shouted.

"Jeez, you kids are loud." Sojiro grumbled, walking in with groceries in hand. "I could even hear you outside."

He turned towards Ren, seeing Morgana still in his lap.

"Oh, there he is." Sojiro said. "I was wondering where the cat went off to. Guess he was just waiting for you to come back, huh?"

"Chief! It's good to see you!" Morgana said.

"Umm…"

"He said it's good to see you again." Ren translated.

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's get this party started!" Ryuji yelled.

"Oh, we should get Sushi, Sojiro!" Futaba grinned.

"Sushi?! I want Sushi!" Morgana yelled.

As the others talked about what food they should get, she glanced over at Ren, who looked happy as can be.

* * *

The party gradually began to whittle down, the Thieves gradually leaving one by one, Ren making plans to hang out with each one of them, until finally, it was just her, Ren, and Morgana.

Cuddled up under a blanket with Ren, with Morgana sitting in his lap, the three of them watched a Yakuza movie she had brought over, an excited expression on her face as she watched the intense action on screen.

She heard him give a soft chuckle before placing a peck on her cheek, breaking her out of her trance.

"Is this new?" he asked, eyes focused on screen.

"Just came out a few days ago." she answered. "I was hoping to watch it with you."

"Reminds me of the time we went to the theater together." he reminisced.

"You two get way too into these movies." Morgana mumbled.

…

…

"Hey, are you two even paying attention?!" Morgana yelled.

"H-Huh?" she stammered. "Sorry, Morgana, I just so engrossed…"

"Yeah, it's really good." Ren agreed.

Morgana sighed, laying his head back down.

"Something wrong?" Ren asked.

"You guys… are all right with me staying here, right?" Morgana asked. "Futaba wanted to hang out at the Chief's house later, but...

"Morgana…" she trailed off. "Of course we're fine with you being here. We all really missed you."

She… _really _wanted to have some alone time with Ren, sure, but she didn't want to be selfish. The others had been without him for just as long.

Ren nodded. "We're friends, after all. We want to spend time with you. And it sounds like the others do too."

"And you'll be spending plenty of time with Ren in his hometown." she pointed out. "Make sure he doesn't work himself too hard, ok?"

"You got it, Queen!" Morgana said excitedly.

"There's not much to see in my hometown, but there's a nice local sushi place." Ren recalled. "I think you'll like it."

"Ooooh… my mouth's watering just thinking about it!" Morgana exclaimed.

* * *

Midway through the movie, Sojiro closed up for the day, bringing Morgana with him to his home, leaving just the two of them.

Alone…

And the more the movie went on, the harder she found it to concentrate, her attention instead focused on Ren.

While his safety and freedom were of course the most important to her, S\she'd be lying if she said she hadn't missed the more… intimate moments of their relationship.

Feeling bold, she decided to sneak a hand underneath the blankets, having it rest on his thigh.

"You know… my sis has to stay at the office overnight…" she whispered.

That caught his attention.

As she began to trace small circles on his inner thigh, he turned towards her, a slight flush to his face as he saw the look of pure want on her face.

"Mako, I-Mmmmph!"

She captured his lips with her own, wasting no time in turning it into a battle of tongues.

One that, competitive as she was, she intended to win.

He had been caught off at first, but he quickly recovered, returning the kiss with just as much passion as he lay beneath her on the bed.

She tightened her grip on his shirt, hearing him groan into her mouth as she started to grind her hips against his.

Finally, he broke the kiss, giving her a second to admire how flustered she had made him.

His face was bright red, and his breathing was rabid, as if he had just run for miles.

"Wow…" he breathed. "That… was… wow."

She gave him a smirk before leaving a trail of kisses, sucking and nibbling down his neck.

"A-Ah… Queen."

There was something very... applying about the way he said her codename.

She glanced up at him, but not before noting the newly formed bruise on his neck.

"I missed this." he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you two." she said.

He pulled her into a softer, gentler, kiss, slipping a hand under her shirt and brushing his fingers from her side to her stomach, sending pleasant shivers throughout her body.

She let out a soft moan as she felt his hands continue to explore, reacquainting themselves with her body, eventually finding their way to her rear, giving it a playful squeeze.

Before his hands could wander any further, however, she swiftly grabbed them, pinning them to the bed.

"You must be rather tired after everything that's happened, so I'll take the lead this time." she declared.

"Sure this isn't just an excuse to be on top?" he smirked.

"Are you complaining?" she smirked right back.

She narrowed her eyes just a tad, not to intimidate him, but to let him know that she was in charge tonight.

"Not at all, Queen." he said. "I love this side of you. It's... kinda sexy, honestly."

She felt the familiar sensation of her cheeks heating up, a smile on her face as she began to get to work at removing his clothing…

"Oh Joker…" she cooed. "There's plenty more where that came from…"

* * *

She awoke to a cool morning breeze.

Her eyes fluttering open, she was momentarily confused by her surroundings (and her lack of clothing) until she remembered that she had stayed the night at Leblanc.

Her eyes settled upon her beau, still fast asleep, a small grin on his face.

She must have exhausted him, not that he seemed to mind.

She carefully untangled herself from Ren, who, much to her amusement, seemed to give a little pout in his sleep as she did so.

She crawled out of bed, nearly losing her balance as she did so.

She placed her hand on the wall to steady herself, realizing just how wobbly her legs were.

She couldn't help but blush, recalling the events last night...

They had… certainly made up for lost time…

* * *

By the time he had woken up, she had already made breakfast for the two of them.

"Good morning, dear." she beamed from behind the counter. "Are you hungry?"

His shocked expression quickly morphed into one of affection.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck.

"You didn't have to do this." he whispered.

"I wanted to." she responded. "Especially since today's such a special day."

"Special day?"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ren."

"Valentine's…" he trailed off. "I didn't-"

"It's ok." she cut him off. "After everything you've been through, I don't blame you."

"At least let me make some coffee." he offered.

"I won't say no to that." she said.

The two of them sat next to each other, enjoying their breakfast and coffee, engaging in casual conversation.

"How have things been with your sister been?" he asked.

"They've been going well." she responded. "She's still needs to work long hours some days, but we've been spending plenty of time together. We even watched movies together on Christmas."

"I'm glad that things have been going so well between you two." he said.

"What about you?" she asked. "Have you called your parents."

"I did." he nodded. "When Sojiro was driving me back. They were very relieved, to say the least. I just feel bad for putting them through so much grief."

"It's not your fault." she assured him. "I'm sure they understand."

"I'm sure they do too." he agreed. "Have the others been doing ok?

"It was tough at first, but everyone's been doing great." she informed him. "In fact, I'd say some of them will be quite busy today."

"Busy?" he repeated.

"Well, I know that Futaba's going on a date, at least." she told him.

"S-Seriously?!" he exclaimed, clearly shocked.

She let out a small giggle. "Relax, Ren. You have to admit that she's come a long way, right?"

"I suppose…" he trailed off. "It's just… I don't know… isn't she a little young?"

Ever the doting surrogate brother, she could tell that the idea of her being alone with a boy unnerved him.

"I thought I was supposed to be the worrier." she joked.

He let out a small laugh. "Well…"

"She's only a year younger than you."

"I know, but…"

"I know that you're concerned for her. I am too. But it's just like you told me when we gave her a tour of Shujin." she reminded him. "She's come so far in such a short amount of time. So let's do our best to support her."

"Ok, ok." he relented. "I suppose, at the very least, I can pull a Sae on her little boyfriend."

"Pull a Sae?" she repeated, confused.

Suddenly, Ren slammed the table, imitating her signature glare.

"What are your intentions with my little sister?!" he exclaimed, doing his best impression of her sister. "Answer me!"

"R-Ren, that's enough." she stammered, trying to stop herself from laughing.

He simply chuckled, kissing her cheek before returning to his meal.

* * *

After taking a shower (together, of course!) and getting dressed, they departed for school.

Admittedly, it was a little hard for her to pay attention, her mind constantly drifting to her plans.

She had read up online on any upcoming events that would be occurring on Valentine's. After finding one to her liking, she invited Eiko over to help her make chocolate.

After what felt like an eternity, the final bell rang, and she wasted no time in heading home, texting Ren that she would meet him at Leblanc.

She got home, grabbed her chocolate, and changed into the dress she had gotten with Ann.

She stepped outside her room, heading towards the door until-

"Heading out?"

She whipped her head around, spying her sister enjoying a cup of coffee at the table.

"Oh, sis!" she gasped. "I was just-"

"I know." Sae interrupted, giving a knowing smile. "You should get going. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would you?"

"R-Right." she nodded. "I'll see you later, sis!"

"Have fun!" Sae called as she left their apartment.

* * *

Along the way to Leblanc, she felt her phone vibrate.

Expecting a text from Ren, she instead got one from Eiko.

Eiko: AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Eiko: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Makoto: Is everything ok?

Eiko: I gave him my chocolate!

Eiko: And guess what?

Makoto: What?

Eiko: HE

Eiko: ASKED

Eiko: ME

Eiko: OUT!

EIKO: AHHHH!

She let out a giggle at her friend's excitement.

Makoto: I'm happy for you.

Eiko: Thanks! Oh, but I saw that Glasses-kun is back!

Eiko: So, was it a romantic and tearful reunion.

Makoto: Something like that…

Eiko: I bet he must have been_ really _happy to see you.

Eiko: Did you two catch up on your 'studying?'

Eiko: Do any 'extracurricular activities'? ;)

She rolled her eyes, putting her phone back into her pocket, having reached her destination.

She walked up to Leblanc, hearing snippets of a conversation as she moved to open the door.

"Y'know, when I was young, hoo boy…"

The bell on the door chimed as she entered, both Sojiro and Ren turning towards her.

She immediately perked up upon seeing Ren's reaction to her new dress, a sight flush to his cheeks.

"...Good evening." she greeted. "Sorry to barge in like this."

Sojiro looked back and forth between the two, a big grin on the older man's face. "Ohhh, you should have just told me. I'll leave the store to you two."

"No worries." Ren said, regaining his cool. "We were actually going to head out, right Mako?"

She nodded. "I've got everything planned out. I hope you don't mind if I borrow him, do you, Boss?"

"Not at all." Sojiro said. "Enjoy yourselves."

Ren took her hand, and began to lead her outside…

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sojiro called. "Make sure you take a good a good look in the attic later."

"Is something wrong?" Ren asked.

"I got a bunch of noise complaints from last night." Sojiro shrugged. "Figured you might have an idea why."

Upon seeing his blushing cheeks, she couldn't help but let out a laugh despite her own reddening face.

Morgana seemed to have noticed, as she could hear him snickering in the back.

"I-I'm not sure, but I'll keep an eye out!" Ren quickly said, closing the door to Leblanc.

* * *

"I got this for you." she smiled, handing him a small Jack Frost figurine.

"Oh, I've been looking for this!" he said excitedly. "I know right where to put it on the shelf! Thank you!"

"And thank you for agreeing to spend time with me." she said as they reached their destination.

Ōsanbashi Pier.

"Of course. I love spending time with you." he responded.

"What do you think of my dress, by the way?" she asked, a bashful smile on her face.

"You look stunning." he confessed. "I didn't know you owned something like that."

"I picked it out recently." she said. "I was hoping you'd like it."

They took a moment to look around, glancing at all the other people around.

"There are so many couples around…" she observed. "And we're one of them."

"Yeah… it's good to be able to be with you again." he said. "How have you been doing lately?"

"I'm glad for a chance to relax and do something fun." she admitted. "After today, I'll have to devote a lot of time to studying for Entrance Exams. Then, I'll be one step closer to becoming Police Commissioner."

"I'll be sure to help you in any way I can." he offered.

"Thank you." she beamed. "And I'll support your dream too. We're both pass our exams with flying colors!"

She heard his phone buzz then, and he picked it out of his pocket before smiling.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's Ryuji." he answered, showing her the chat log. "He's been texting me all day for advice."

"Advice?"

"Yeah. He got chocolate from this one girl he liked, so he asked her out and she said yes."

"Tell him to be respectful… and that I'm happy for him." she said.

"Of course." he replied. "I'm glad for him too. He's a great guy."

He silenced his phone, placing it back in his pocket. "So, what now?"

"Look over there." she said, pointing to a large sign. "Limited Valentine's event: The Key of Vows!"

"What's that about?" he asked.

"It's an event only between lovers." she said, her voice sounding happier with each word. "It's said that when two people close a lock together, they'll be eternally inseparable."

She bent down in front of him, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Do you want to try it?"

"I'd love to." he said, pecking her lips before following her to the locks.

They grabbed a lock, and seeing a bunch of other locks on a chain link fence, decided to do the same.

They both pressed down on the lock, locking it into face, and she could feel her heart fluttering when she noticed that their fingers were forming a heart around the lock.

She watched him pull out his phone with his other hand, taking a picture of her before letting out a chuckle.

"H-Hey! What's so funny?" she stammered.

"Sorry, sorry…" he apologized.

"Is this… too sappy?" she whispered, frowning.

"A little bit." he confessed. "But it's also really sweet. Kinda like you."

"Ren…"

"I'm really happy, Makoto." he said. "Happy to be making more memories with you. And happy that I'm able to make you happy."

"You always know what to say." she cooed, drawing him into a hug.

"Guess I've got the key to your heart." he smirked.

"And you called me corny." she laughed, lightly smacking his chest.

* * *

The two found a nearby bench to sit down and talk.

"I wanted to give this to you." she said, handing him his chocolate, presented in panda wrapping paper.

Carefully, he opened it up, seeing the chocolate inside.

"Did you make this yourself?" he asked.

"I did." she admitted. "W-Would you have preferred it I bought them?"

He shook his head. "I really appreciate all the effort you went through to make these for me. That's sweeter than any chocolate."

He plopped one into his mouth, and much to her relief, he seemed to enjoy it.

"Here, you try some." he suggested.

"Are you sure?" she wondered. "I made them for you."

"And I want to share them." he countered.

She relented, taking one of the chocolates and placing it in her mouth.

"Oh, these are really good." she gasped. "I'm glad they turned out so well."

"They really did." he agreed.

A silence fell over the two as they watched the sunset on the bridge.

"Your… heading back next month, aren't you?" she murmured.

"Come with me."

"W-What?! D-Do you really mean that?!" she exclaimed.

When she looked at him, however, he seemed just as shocked as she did.

"I… sorry, that just… came out." he muttered. "I… would really want you to come with me, but I know that you need to be here."

"That's true, but… I'm happy you feel that way." she said.

"April 23rd."

"Hm?"

"That's your birthday, right?" he asked.

"Yes, it is." she beamed, happy that he remembered.

"I'll visit you then." he told her. "I promise."

"And I'll visit you in the summer." she promised. "And for our anniversary."

"And we'll always keep in touch."

He glanced downwards, holding her hand on the bench.

"Of course." she agreed. "After all that waiting, living in two different places doesn't seem like such a big deal."

She took his hand in both of hers, holding it close to her heart.

"And… I've been waiting for you for so long." she expressed, a warm and loving expression on her face as she leaned in for a kiss. "I'm not asking too much… Am I?"

"Never." he whispered, cupping her cheek with his other hand. "I'd do anything for you."

As the sun set on the water in front of them, they shared a soft, gentle kiss.

"Makoto." Ren trailed off as they broke apart. You… are you the most incredible person I've ever met in my life. From the moment I met you, you've done nothing but make my life better. You've helped me out so many times. I… I feel like I've become a better person because of you."

Her smile brightened, tears threatening to spill.

"I love you, and I will come back to you." he continued. "And when I do… there won't be anything else keeping us apart. And…"

He took a deep breath, brushing his thumb on the ring she still had on her finger.

"And then… we can spend the rest of our lives together. Eternally inseparable, right?"

"R-Ren, are you… asking me to m-m-m-mar-"

"Not right now." he cut her off. "But… when we both graduate college, and have stable jobs… I would want that. "I would really, really, want that."

As he poured his heart out to her, she realized something.

That was he was describing… is was what she wanted to.

She didn't care if it sounded naive… there was no one else she could imagine herself spending her life with.

She tackled him into a hug, burying her face into his chest as tears began to fall.

"Yes…" she whispered. "I want that too, Ren. I love you."

"I'm glad." he said, laying a kiss to her hair. "I'm so glad."

He brought her close, the two cuddled together as they watched the sunset.

Eternally inseparable.


End file.
